Whoever your protagonist may be, they must be someone your reader can connect with. If they’re the hero, your reader needs to like them and empathise with them throughout the story. If your protagonist doesn’t grip the reader from the outset, you’ve lost the plot.
BY GINNY SWART
Let’s say you have a cracking plot with a strong central character, Greg. Greg is a doctor. You describe him as good-looking, possessing a subtle sense of humour, devoted to his mother and kind to animals.
Your reader can’t fail to love him too, right? Wrong. You might think you’ve crafted the perfect leading man, but perfection is dull. Readers don’t fall for cardboard cut-outs. They want characters who feel real – flawed, unpredictable and utterly human.
1. Everyone Has Flaws – So Should Your Heroes
Greg needs a few rough edges to make him believable. Flaws create conflict, and conflict makes your story compelling. Nobody is entirely good or entirely bad.
So while your reader should generally like Greg, he’ll feel more authentic if he has some quirks – perhaps he’s impatient, hopelessly disorganised or harbours a secret addiction to Belgian chocolate. A few endearing imperfections make a hero relatable.
Likewise, if Greg happens to be the villain, resist painting him as a one-dimensional monster. Even the most ruthless corporate raider or serial killer needs some redeeming qualities – perhaps he bakes his own bread, rescues stray cats or has an encyclopaedic knowledge of obscure jazz records. These touches of humanity make antagonists infinitely more chilling.
Maybe Greg’s handsome face bears a faint scar. How did he get it? Was it the result of an ill-advised bar fight in his youth? Does he struggle with a temper that still threatens to undo him? Let his past whisper through the pages and shape his present. A well-timed outburst of anger, for instance, can serve as a dramatic high point in your story.
2. What Does He Look Like?
Characterisation isn’t just about personality – it’s about physical presence too. Readers need a few well-chosen visual cues, but they also want room to imagine. A detailed forensic sketch isn’t necessary.
Instead, offer a handful of evocative details:
“Michael ran his hand through his thinning grey hair, adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses and gave her a severe, owl-like look.”
Or:
“Jenny shifted her skirt in the mirror, pleased with her new reflection. Copper highlights and spiky heels pushed her scarlet mini to another level of wicked.”
Dialogue can also hint at appearance:
“Great new shoes, Jean. You’re so lucky you can wear those high heels.” “Well, if I didn’t, they wouldn’t let me into the pub,” she grinned. “It’s bad enough being mistaken for a fourteen-year-old boy every time I wear jeans.”
These small flourishes bring characters to life far more effectively than a dry inventory of physical traits.
3. How Does He Speak?
Your protagonist’s voice should be as distinctive as their fingerprints. A refined aristocrat won’t sound like a streetwise hustler. A retired farmer won’t sprinkle his speech with boardroom jargon.
Dialogue also reveals interests and preoccupations. Is Greg obsessed with the stock market? The price of vintage cars? The sorry state of modern education? These details build a fuller picture of who he is.
And if you’re writing teenagers, for heaven’s sake, get their dialogue right. ‘Cool’ and ‘wicked’ are still passable; ‘fab’ and ‘bad’ (meaning good) are relics best left in the archives of linguistic history.
4. Write Your Backstories
You’ve probably heard writers claim that sometimes “the story just writes itself.” That magic happens when a writer knows their characters inside out before the first sentence hits the page.
This means sketching out their backstory – their childhood, their traumas, their victories, their regrets. Even if much of this information never appears in the final draft, it informs the way they think, react and evolve. Are they impulsive or methodical? Do they trust easily or hold grudges? Understanding their history makes their decisions feel organic, not forced.
Well-crafted characters are the beating heart of any great story. Nail them, and the plot will often take care of itself. And who knows? You might just find yourself among the lucky few whose characters whisper their own stories into existence.
Copyright, Ginny Swart, All Rights Reserved
About the Author
Ginny Swart began writing short stories in 2001, and to date she has sold over 700 stories to women’s magazines worldwide. Her more serious work has appeared in literary publications in South Africa, Canada and New Zealand as well as online. In 2003, she won the prestigious UK The Real Writers Prize from over 4,000 entrants. Ginny tutored the Short Story Writing Course at the Writers’ College for almost 20 years until her retirement in 2024.
