- Persistence. Unquestionably the most important. The great thing is it applies to villains too. The most interesting villains in fiction are those who not only believe in their cause, they follow through with it.
- Hard Work. Goes hand in hand with persistence.
- Loyalty. Does anyone ever like a traitor? I think not! I love Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings for his unquestioning loyalty (really put to the test too).
- Acknowledging weaknesses but carrying on with quest regardless. That sums up Frodo! But the truly great characters readily acknowledge the help they get from others makes all the difference to how successful they are.
- Capacity for love. Not necessarily the romantic type. Any character that can care for others, sometimes even objects, has the capacity for greatness. And again it can apply to villains. What do they really care about they will do anything for? That is the core of a really great story. Even when that love is misdirected, the character will be of interest because of what they will do to defend/protect what they feel they should here.
Hearing the wonderful news Andy Murray has become men's tennis world number one (brilliant news!), it is so heartening to see how his hard work and persistence have paid off. And in fictional characters, I am especially fond of those who don't give up and face down every obstacle in their way. (Indeed there's precious litle story without that trait). So what character traits do I think are the most important then?
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AuthorI'm Allison Symes and I write novels, short stories as well as some scripts and poems. I love setting my work in my magical world, the Fairy Kingdom, and my favourite character is Eileen, who believes hypocrisy is something that happens to other people without caring that statement is hypocritical in itself! Eileen is huge fun to write for and about. Archives
September 2019
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