Book characters are life. If you don’t have few dozen (or hundreds) of fictional characters you spend your life pinning pics of on Pinterest, making memes for, staying up late coming up with wild theories and headcanons about, and like a lot better than some of your own acquaintances well…you’re lying. People like people. And when those people are fiction, that’s just BETTER. (For some reason???)

But here’s the thing. Sometimes our fictional people tastes can get…strange. I’ve always said some of my most favorite fictional characters are people I wouldn’t be able to stand in real life. But here I am, wasting my life pinning pics of them on Pinterest.

So how does that work? How do writers make less-than-desirable people the loves of our lives? Because there’s a fine line there. As a writer, you’re always told to give your characters flaws, don’t make them too perfect, make them seem human. Buuut sometimes people can go too far with this and just make downright mean, annoying characters. Not exactly the protagonists you want to look up to. Where’s the balance? Why do we love some flawed characters and not like others?

WELL. Today I’ve got 7 very human characters to look at as examples, so we can examine what makes them so likeable and apply it to our own writing. (What do you mean is this just an excuse to fangirl over characters? Of course not! Pssshh.)

SEVEN CHARACTERS
WE LOVE & WHY

PARVIN
Out of Time trilogy by Nadine Brandes

Confession: I didn’t like Parvin at first. Really through the whole first book of this trilogy. She was immature, stubborn, and ridiculously impulsive. But then I realized…

That was the point.

The trilogy is about Parvin’s growth. About her learning to love and care for all people, and never, ever giving up. And that’s when I fell in love with her. Because she NEVER gave up. (And let me tell ya, this author was not kind to her protagonist…at all.) The trials Parvin went through trying to fight for the rights of humanity were unbelievable. If it were me, I’d probably eventually just curl into a ball and say forget it. But Parvin never did. She fought and fought and fought. Despite so many going against. Despite everything going wrong. Despite nearly losing her life time and time again. She just kept fighting.

Through the course of the trilogy we watch impulsive, immature Parvin grows into a beautiful leader who learns to take her flaws and turn them into gifts God can use for His purpose.

. . . What We Can Learn From Her . . .

That it’s okay to make the character unlikable at the start of the story. You guys know character arcs are my favorite, and Parvin had a wonderful one. Don’t be scared to start out your characters as rather unpleasant. Just don’t keep them that way. Let them grown. Parvin chose to take her trials as growth and learn from them, and she never gave up. And, this character who I wrinkled my nose at in book #1, became one of my greatest inspirations by book #3.

LIONHEART
Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Dear Lionheart a.k.a Leo. He is one of the few characters we get to watch grow from a rambunctious child, to selfish youth, to brave man. And what a journey it is!

Lionheart has a hard time accepting his life and responsibilities. As a result, he lets his selfishness take over and hurts so, so many people along the way. And when people need him the most, he runs. But through the goodness of his friend Rose Red and seeing the devastation his mistakes has caused, he realizes he can’t run anymore. He has to face his responsibilities and do what he can to make things right.

Leo is such a complex character, it’s hard to even describe what makes him likeable. Sometimes you just want to hate him, but, somehow, you can’t. (At least, I never could.) I think what makes it work is at first, you’re drawn in by his wit and charisma. But shallow traits like that can only go so far. Yes, people love funny characters, but if said funny character keeps hurting people, their humor is going to start losing its effect. With Leo, his charm pulled us in at first, yes, but then what kept our hearts attached was the relatability. Leo did not run from his responsibilities and hurt people out of malice. He was scared. He was just a scared boy with too much thrust on his shoulders. And can’t we relate? How many times do we want to hole up in our rooms and hide from responsibility? How many times does fear keep us from reaching our best potential?

For a time, Leo lost sight of who he was, or who he should be. But, after many trials, he realized his mistakes and strived to do better.

. . . What We Can Learn From Him . . .

Giving your less than likeable characters humor and charisma is a great way to draw the readers in, but eventually you need to go deeper. Make their flaws relatable, like Leo’s fear of taking responsibility. Something like that can go a long way.

Carswell Thorne
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

AH YES. How can I make a list of likable, flawed characters without adding the devilishly handsome spaceship captain full of sass and wit. REALLY NOW??? Thorne’s charm gets the best of all of us. You know it’s true. But let’s be real for a minute, Thorne is selfish. He’s a bit of a conman and totally full of himself. So why do we love him?

The thing about Thorne is, he’s not a total jerk like you’d think. He’s protective of his friends, sympathizes with others easily, and is an all around pretty nice, laidback guy. I mean, when Cinder practically kidnaps him and thrusts him on a mission to save the world, he just rolls with it. So many times the “attractive” guys in fiction are just selfish jerks. Thorne makes so many mistakes and has lived a life of serving himself, but he’s not mean about it. He goes with the flow and is willing to help people when they need it. And I LOVED that. He’s just…a person. Not malicious and back-stabby. Not perfect and wholesome. Just a fun-loving guy who got roped into helping save the world.

And it doesn’t stop there. As with all good characters, we get to see Thorne become even better. Through the goodness of his friends, Cress especially, he learns to be a hero. To choose to serve others and not just himself.

Buuuut he’s also just hilarious and has the best lines in the whole series.

. . . What We Can Learn From Him . . .

That not all the “devilishly handsome, charismatic” male characters have to be jerks. Do something new and fun with them. Make them goofy and funny and sympathetic. Or place them with a kindhearted character who inspires them to become better. Trust me, readers won’t be able to get enough of him.

BRIELLE
The Angel Eyes trilogy by Shannon Dittemore

Now Brielle is a bit of a different type of character than what we’ve look at so far, because she starts out as a good person. But she’s broken. The first book opens up with her dealing with the recent death of her best friend, which of course puts Brielle in a vulnerable place.

What I adore about Brielle is that she’s soft and quiet and emotional. She’s not trying to be some tough gal or pretends to know everything and have it all together. She’s a bit of a mess, which is exactly like any of us would be in her position. She cries a lot. She questions a lot. And she’s scared.

Through the course of the trilogy, she accepts help from others, learns to lean on friends and family, and, slowly but surely, puts her trust in God even when everything is falling apart. And through this, she becomes stronger, while still staying true to her gentle, soft spirit. She even finds it in her heart to forgive people that any one of us would have a verrrry hard time forgiving.

Brielle is fragile. Which I found very refreshing, because that’s not something you see in fiction very often.

. . . What We Can Learn From Her . . .

Giving your characters emotions is a GOOD THING. They don’t have to have it all together. Let them cry, let them feel, let them be broken sometimes. In this day in age of “strong female characters”, it’s good to be reminded that there’s nothing wrong with being fragile and gentle spirited.

HOWL
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

You all knew this was coming! Like I’d do a list of flawed characters and not put Howl on it. HA!

Why do we all love Howl? He’s egotistical, flighty, whiny, immature, has tantrums when he dyes his hair the wrong color, acts like he’s dying when he’s got a simple cold, likes to slither out of any uncomfortable situations, and is a coward. Yet he’s one of the most endearing characters in literary history, and my personal favorite fictional character. FAVORITE, GUYS. Out of like…thousands. So what makes Howl so amazing? Goodness, there are so many things.

First of all, Howl’s antics are utterly hilarious. He’s constantly getting in trouble, and then using his charming personality to get out of it. Or just spreading untrue, terrible rumors about himself to avoid responsibility. (Laziness goals right there.) But he also genuinely loves his family and looks out for them. He made a huge sacrifice to save someone’s life, just because he felt sorry for that certain someone (being vague to avoid spoilers here). He commits a lot of good acts and doesn’t even gloat about it, choosing to keep it a secret. And, at the end of it all, he shoves away his cowardice and vanity to save those he cares about. I think with Howl, he’s pretended to be this great, evil, selfish wizard so long, he’s started believing it about himself. But, deep down, he’s just a young man that got in over his head and cares a little too much, and it scares him. He’d rather be seen as selfish and unfeeling than hold the responsibility of people’s lives in his hands.

But what’s fun and different about Howl is that he stays Howl. Yes, he faces his fears in the end, but he’s still that ridiculous, egotistical wizard we all know and love. Because he wouldn’t be Howl if he didn’t hog the bathroom for 2 hours every morning and gets involved in wild antics that makes Sophie want to pull his hair out. And that’s how we like it.

. . . What We Can Learn From Him . . .

There are two things I always take away from Howl. 1.) Showing a heart of gold under a seemingly aloof, rotten character will pretty much always bump them up to #1 in your readers’ hearts. 2.) Even if your character goes through a major arc, you shouldn’t erase all their flaws. Sometimes it’s good to keep them who they are. Make them a better person, yes. But just because someone has a major breakthrough doesn’t mean their personality is wiped out. Stay true to who they are. Those flaws are more often than not what made them endearing to the reader in the first place.

PETER PAN
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Because who doesn’t love Peter Pan??? But what makes this childish boy such an appealing character?

I think Peter Pan is what we all wish we could be. The boy who never grew up, gets to fly around with fairies, plays with mermaids, fights pirates, and ignore all manner of adult responsibility. #DREAMLIFE

Okay, but seriously? He awakens the child inside us. That longing of simple times and carefree days. He reminds us to find the wonder in everyday life, to stop taking everything so seriously, and to have a little fun now and again.

He’s terribly flawed, yes. He’s forgetful, a bit bratty, doesn’t think twice about putting the Lost Boys in constant danger, and extremely full of himself. But he’s a child. His nature is so real. It makes us smile. And makes us relate. Oftentimes our childish nature shows itself, amiright?

But another thing that draws us to him is the otherworldliness about his character. He’s the boy who never has and never will grow up. Who lives in a magic land of childhood wonder. Who flies and converses with fairies and steals children away to play like it’s perfectly natural. There’s something so ethereal and wondrous about his character that draws us to him.

. . . What We Can Learn From Him . . .

Not every character has to be human human. Giving them relatable traits is fantastic. But throwing in the occasional unique character—a type of character we can never be but wish for—really ups reader appeal and makes a story original.

EDMUND
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Of course I must end this with one of the most beloved flawed characters out there.

There is so much to take away from Edmund’s character. We first see him as a bratty child, who doesn’t like authority, lets some mere sweets cause him to betray his own family, and gets way, way over his head. As things spiral out of control, he begins to see the error of his ways and grows repentant. But it’s when Aslan sacrifices himself  for Edmund—despite all the terrible things he did—that Edmund truly turns around. Edmund learns that if someone can love him that much, even after he betrayed them, he should love others in the same way. After this, Edmund matures and becomes a kind, caring king, seeking to do good for others, not himself.

His story is beautiful and powerful and gets me emotional every time I think of it.

. . . What We Can Learn From Him . . .

Sometimes it takes a great action from someone else to turn our flawed character around. I personally love those stories where the kindness and goodness of others changes a character’s hard heart. It’s a fantastic way to provide a powerful messages to us readers that doing good can make an enormous impact.

And there we have it! This is only about 2.7% of the flawed characters I adore (I have a problem, okay???), but these really stick out to me when I’m creating my own characters and arcs. I actually hope to do a post about character arcs and the process of making them sometime. But looking at these characters is a great start. There’s so much to be learned from all of them!

TALK WITH ME!