"If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats."
-Richard Bach
Last we talked about the types of characters you could add to your story. But there are also character types that you want to avoid as much as you can. Using the following types of character is usually the result of creating them only to move the plot along. And while moving the plot is important, it is equally so to create an organic world that mimics the originality in the world around us—especially in the complexity and uniqueness of every human. I encourage you to go through your novel or cast of characters and either eliminate or improve each one you find, to avoid the following character types. I've added loose examples for these character types to demonstrate what I'm talking about. The first parenthetical example will be the character type which you might best avoid, the second is the preferred equivalent that can be easily substituted with just a bit of effort.
Character to Avoid 1: Copy Characters
Voldemort (aka magic bald Hitler) vs Grindelwald (books only)
Most writers are born of a deep love of stories that they have read, usually one story in particular that changed their life. As such, it is often a temptation to emulate the characters that were so beloved of another story, feeling that this greatness will transfer to our own characters. But the power of a character comes from their own unique perspectives and experiences in life. Don't try to make your character the most unique creation alive—as much human experience is universal and a thing that will help your readers relate—but be sure that they can stand on their own and are a result of their own unique life.
Character to Avoid 2: Static Characters
Emperor Palpatine (movies only) vs Darth Vader
Static characters are those that do not change over the course of a story. Now, there will be characters who do not appear long enough in the story to be changed, as well as those who have already gone through their change before the story began. And you won't, nor should, show every aspect of every character's life. But nobody goes from infant-hood to adulthood without learning to adapt to the world from society, family, disappointments, struggles, and success. So keep this in mind when creating your cast of characters, as an influence and subconscious addition of depth to every character, even minor ones.
Character to Avoid 3: Flat Characters
Eeyore vs Winnie the Pooh
Flat characters are those that only seem to have one trait. The jealous boyfriend, the sadistic villain, the overprotective mother. One contradiction to this idea may be that many real people do seem to have a singular dominant trait that overshadows all else. But nobody is really that trait alone. Jealousy requires childhood pain and insecurity. Sadism requires trauma and mental illness. Over-protection comes from fear and love. And showing this depth, even in just small glimmers, will add a great level of depth to your story. So make sure to add more than just a singular attribute to your characters.
Character to Avoid 4: Symbol Characters
Aslan (lion Jesus) vs Puzzle
Symbol characters are those that writers add, only to represent ideals. The priest who represents God. The villain who represent fascism. The mother who represents love. While characters can become symbols, you must let that happen organically in the form of a three-dimensional character. Otherwise, your reader will see through the characters, and your story will become allegory.
Character to Avoid 5: Perfect Characters
Superman (most renditions, though certainly not all) vs Lois Lane
The quickest way to lose your reader's interest is to create a perfect character that can do no wrong. Why? Two reasons. First, we readers know that nobody is perfect, and it defies our sense of truth. Second, because there are no perfect people, the only people who can relate to a perfect character are those so self-absorbed that they think that they're perfect too. So ... a small percentage of sociopaths.
Character to Avoid 6: Zombie-fodder Characters
(Most Hunger Games Movie Characters) vs (Battle Royale Manga Characters)
As a horror writer, I initially had a very difficult time not creating characters just for my monsters to rip apart. But no matter what genre you are writing in, death means nothing if we do not view the characters as being human. We are not shaken or fearful because of their death, and we do not have enough empathy to be sad. Without making the characters that you will kill three-dimensional, the most you can do is to amuse your reader or desensitize them.
Character to Avoid 7: Stormtrooper/Nazi Characters
(...self-explanatory?) vs (Malfoy Family)
These are antagonists who merely exist for our heroes to defeat/beat/kill without the reader recognizing them as human. Sure, they're fun for the guilty pleasure of vapid action movies, but not for writers who actually want to create a meaningful story. Every person, like every character, is a complete human with a good amount of pain and experience that has made them what they are and caused them to commit the evil that they do. By using Nazi gun-fodder (or whichever humans are being popularly dehumanized), you risk becoming part of the propaganda machine which says that to mindlessly murder unpopular people groups is alright.
Write-a-Novel Exercise 5.9
Go through all of your characters, list the ones that fall into the above categories, and plan for how you will have them rise above their oversimplified form in the course of your novel.
Last we talked about the Types of Character you could add to your writing. But there are also character types that you want to avoid as much as you can. Using the following types of character is usually the result of creating them only to move the plot along. And while moving the plot is important, it is equally so to create an organic world that mimics the originality in the world around us—especially in the complexity and uniqueness of every human. I encourage you to go through your novel or cast of characters, and either eliminate or improve each one you find, as to avoid the following mistakes in storytelling. (First example is the type that should be avoided and the second is the type preferred).
Character to Avoid 4: Symbol Characters (Aslan) vs (Puzzle)
Stereotypes and cliching of minorities (like Asians) are what readers/viewers identify them with--and I still have to use it as how my non-Asian characters (whites) perseve/treat them(for sole purpose of the white readers) --- but I too add another layer to make those Asian(with their background) to be non cliche and more three dimensional with--- their own Asian perspective to create depth in their own Asian POvs/reactions in my storytelling.
Great article Blake -- you wrote it for a 'thinking-man/woman' (both for writers and readers) to appreciate minor/supporting characters as most writers are gung-ho these days with their good vs evil mould whether in their plots, characters and storytelling of only focusing on the main protagonist and antagonist
Trivia--Reminds me of the Austin Power movie--the script narrowed to one of the minor characters who was about to die and the consequences of his death to his family (as he is an employee of Dr. Evil), haha, though it was a parody for laughs but it is how I identify a minor character if I introduce them and their importance of roles in my storytelling ( I still find it hard to kill off major/minor characters of my story once I have given them a NAME, haha)
-- you wrote it for a 'thinking-man/woman' (both for writers and readers) 