Since I've been working on my latest synopsis it got me to thinking about my characters and just how important they are to a story. Granted, a rip roaring plot is always fun, but if you don't care about the people involved then it falls flat. So, what makes great characters? To me it's always complexity. Just take Scarlett O'Hara. On one hand she's vain and shallow and instinctively selfish and yet, we find ourselves rooting for her because of her relentless courage and refusal to allow life to get the better of her. Even at the end a reader is conflicted by her character. Does she truly deserve Rhett? That sort of character stands the test of time. Even a heroic figure like Batman is shadowed by his own doubt and a readers uncertainty of where heroism ends and vigilanty starts.
So what makes a great character for you?
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For me a great character is one of strong mind and convictions. I want my heroine's to be feisty, funny, and courageous. They don't necessarily have to have a PHD in Physics but I would like that at a minimum they have common sense. As for the hero I want him to be strong, courageous, and sexy. Many of my favorite stories star plain heroine's (like Jane Eyre for example) and complex hero's (like Mr. Rochester). They don't have to be pretty, just sure of who they are. I find that those stories that have funny secondary characters (like Levet in Alex Ivy's Darkness series) are ones I particularly enjoy.
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