What makes a character worth writing about? What makes him or her interesting, memorable, worth rereading? I started a list, and here's what topped it:
1. Admirable.
The character has to have qualities we like and consider valuable. Heroic. Selfless. Determined. The Hill-King, Corlath in Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword, loves and protects his people. He fights for them and puts their welfare above his own. Harper Lee's Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird shows honor and integrity when he defends (as an attorney) and protects a black man accused of raping a white woman in a racial community.
Even a flawed character can be admirable. Scarlett O'Hara in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is vain and selfish, but she is a survivor. She protects Melanie from the carpet bagger and takes care of her family, her home (and herself), no matter what the cost. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir's cowardice causes him to pay a heavy price. But it is because of his past fear and inaction that his overcoming it is such a triumph.
Up next week... Part 2: Characters we identify with and why.
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