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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/41193
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/41193
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

We don't have enough information to determine if they are "too bland".

I will answer generally. I think you are paying too much attention to physical identity and color, neither of which are generally important.

What is important for a story is **_conflict_** , your characters (even if they are working together) need to be in some sort of conflict, with each other, with the environment, with the antagonists, with their own feelings.

This requires them to each have their own lives, their own ideas, and generally to stand up for them. So they can have arguments, or disagreements, or differences in romance (who wants it, who doesn't) or leadership or dominance (who wants to lead, who doesn't want to follow), and so on.

Never let up, even with friends look for ways that they can disagree, negotiate, come to decisions and then do it again.

Readers should be involved with every page, they turn the page because they want to see **_what happens next_** (in the next few pages). So you need something that can pull them forward in the very short term (I need to read just two more pages), the medium term (I need to finish this chapter) and the long term (I need to see how this ends!).

### Response to OP edits.

You are still listing characteristics of characters! Speaking as a writing coach, I don't care about any of these characteristics, they don't matter. You are focused on the wrong thing and putting the cart before the horse.

The only purpose of a characteristic in a character is to create some sort of conflict, or make a conflict worse, or to resolve some sort of conflict. They don't just exist to make a character "interesting". An "interesting" character can hold the stage for a few minutes, but if they don't have a problem to deal with, they are quickly boring.

You are missing the most important characteristics on each of these characters: **Where are the flaws?** What are they bad at? What will cause problems for them, and for others? On the flip side, what are they good at? What is going to save their butt when it needs saving? I give all my characters **both** kinds of characteristics, equally; for every thing they are good at, there is an offsetting something they are bad at, and I try to make it something important they are bad at, meaning I can see a way for this incompetence to get them into serious trouble.

I know you are aiming for comedy; but I suggest you review some comedies and look for the conflicts the MCs are having. They have serious problems, not just with their situation but with each other and how the situation is progressing.

The first thing you need for this story is a "crucible". That is some story device that forces the MCs to stay together (or keep engaging each other). This can be literal force (like being hand-cuffed together) or logical. Maybe it is too dangerous to go it alone. The crucible is a reason the MC's cannot just walk away when they have disagreements about what to do, who's in charge and so on.

The second thing you need is a problem they need to solve together. THEN you can start assigning personal and personality characteristics that **get in the way** of solving this problem together. Those are characteristics that **matter** to the plot.

Now, stories present those in reverse; which is what confuses many beginning writers. The _design_ is problem+crucible, then characters and characteristics that will cause conflict.

But we _present_ characters and characteristics, _then_ the problem (zombie apocalypse), and then the crucible (they meet, solve a few easy problems, and realize they can't survive without each other). So then the conflicts ensue because you have designed the characters in advance to create problems for each other. This is entertaining because it is reflective of life: Nobody is perfect themselves or as companions, friends or lovers; there is always something to deal with.

Original score: 21