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Q&A How to write an introverted main character with accidental charisma

Your protagonist's description reminds me of Violet Baudelaire in the opening chapters of A Series of Unfortunate Events. She was an inventor, and she was well drawn. Which is to say, she had ea...

posted 4y ago by DPT‭ · edited 4y ago by DPT‭

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#3: Post edited by

DPT‭ · 2020-03-16T20:03:33Z (about 4 years ago)

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Your protagonist's description reminds me of Violet Baudelaire in the opening chapters of *A Series of Unfortunate Events.*
She was an inventor, and she was well drawn. Which is to say, she had easily-envisioned personality traits and mannerisms, such as tying her hair with a ribbon every time she invented something.
She was distinctive, and this is what draws readers to her.
**Answer #1:**
Give your character distinctions. Give your character a few traits that are unusual, and make those traits specific. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head. Brainstorm some yourself too.
~~ Your character refuses to buy produce, instead goes out of his way to learn what is edible along the local roadways and eats that as he travels. Sometimes he makes a mistake and becomes ill, to good story-effect.
~~ Your character collects something odd, like moths. Not living moths, mind you, because living moths perform invaluable ecosystem services which your character knows backward and forward (and shares with all comers). No, your character collects dead moths. He recently found a (rare moth) from (strange land) dead on a cart. He collects it and wonders what it means, perhaps deducing something clever and story related.
~~ Your character is kind to his elders. He is kind. When others are annoyed by old people, he sees what is in the elders, worth kindness. (And besides, he is a kind soul). Perhaps the elderly are like moths, to him, in how others don't value them as they should. (Hopefully your protagonist does not collect them.)
**Answer #2:**
More broadly, find characters in your own reading that have some element of what you are searching for, and ask yourself what it is that makes it work. Approach it as a puzzle. Why does *A Series of Unfortunate Events* work? It does not follow conventional rules. Maybe it is the humor. Maybe it is the voice. Maybe it is the episodic nature of the series. And so on. Why does Violet, as a character, work? (Or find your own examples.)

Your protagonist's description reminds me of Violet Baudelaire in the opening chapters of *A Series of Unfortunate Events.*
She was an inventor, and she was well drawn. Which is to say, she had easily-envisioned personality traits and mannerisms, such as tying her hair with a ribbon every time she invented something.
She was distinctive, and this is what draws readers to her.
**Answer #1:**
Give your character distinctions. Give your character a few traits that are unusual, and make those traits specific. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head. Brainstorm some yourself too.
~~ Your character refuses to buy produce, instead goes out of his way to learn what is edible along the local roadways and eats that as he travels. Sometimes he makes a mistake and becomes ill, to good story-effect.
~~ Your character collects something odd, like moths. Not living moths, mind you, because living moths perform invaluable ecosystem services which your character knows backward and forward (and shares with all comers). No, your character collects dead moths. He recently found a (rare moth) from (strange land) dead on a cart. He collects it and wonders what it means, perhaps deducing something clever and story related.
~~ Your character is kind to his elders. He is kind. When others are annoyed by old people, he sees what is in the elders, worth kindness. (And besides, he is a kind soul). Perhaps the elderly are like moths, to him, in how others don't value them as they should. (Hopefully your protagonist does not collect them.)
The important point is to give him some specific, recurring, intriguing, and relevant trait, something unusual that hopefully impacts the story itself and is not simply a random descriptive element. Like Violet's inventive nature.
**Answer #2:**
More broadly, find characters in your own reading that have some element of what you are searching for, and ask yourself what it is that makes it work. Approach it as a puzzle. Why does *A Series of Unfortunate Events* work? It does not follow conventional rules. Maybe it is the humor. Maybe it is the voice. Maybe it is the episodic nature of the series. And so on. Why does Violet, as a character, work? (Or find your own examples.)

#2: Post edited by

DPT‭ · 2020-03-16T20:01:40Z (about 4 years ago)

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Your protagonist's description reminds me of Violet Baudelaire in the opening chapters of *A Series of Unfortunate Events.*
She was an inventor, and she was well drawn. Which is to say, she had easily-envisioned personality traits and mannerisms, such as tying her hair with a ribbon every time she invented something.
She was distinctive, and this is what draws readers to her.
~~Answer #1:~~
Give your character distinctions. Give your character a few traits that are unusual, and make those traits specific. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head. Brainstorm some yourself too.
Your character refuses to buy produce, instead goes out of his way to learn what is edible along the local roadways and eats that as he travels. Sometimes he makes a mistake and becomes ill, to good story-effect.
Your character collects something odd, like moths. Not living moths, mind you, because living moths perform invaluable ecosystem services which your character knows backward and forward (and shares with all comers). No, your character collects dead moths. He recently found a (rare moth) from (strange land) dead on a cart. He collects it and wonders what it means, perhaps deducing something clever and story related.
Your character is kind to his elders. He is kind. When others are annoyed by old people, he sees what is in the elders, worth kindness. (And besides, he is a kind soul). Perhaps the elderly are like moths, to him, in how others don't value them as they should. (Hopefully your protagonist does not collect them.)
~~Answer #2:~~
More broadly, find characters in your own reading that have some element of what you are searching for, and ask yourself what it is that makes it work. Approach it as a puzzle. Why does *A Series of Unfortunate Events* work? It does not follow conventional rules. Maybe it is the humor. Maybe it is the voice. Maybe it is the episodic nature of the series. And so on. Why does Violet, as a character, work? (Or find your own examples.)

Your protagonist's description reminds me of Violet Baudelaire in the opening chapters of *A Series of Unfortunate Events.*
She was an inventor, and she was well drawn. Which is to say, she had easily-envisioned personality traits and mannerisms, such as tying her hair with a ribbon every time she invented something.
She was distinctive, and this is what draws readers to her.
**Answer #1:**
Give your character distinctions. Give your character a few traits that are unusual, and make those traits specific. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head. Brainstorm some yourself too.
~~ Your character refuses to buy produce, instead goes out of his way to learn what is edible along the local roadways and eats that as he travels. Sometimes he makes a mistake and becomes ill, to good story-effect.
~~ Your character collects something odd, like moths. Not living moths, mind you, because living moths perform invaluable ecosystem services which your character knows backward and forward (and shares with all comers). No, your character collects dead moths. He recently found a (rare moth) from (strange land) dead on a cart. He collects it and wonders what it means, perhaps deducing something clever and story related.
~~ Your character is kind to his elders. He is kind. When others are annoyed by old people, he sees what is in the elders, worth kindness. (And besides, he is a kind soul). Perhaps the elderly are like moths, to him, in how others don't value them as they should. (Hopefully your protagonist does not collect them.)
**Answer #2:**
More broadly, find characters in your own reading that have some element of what you are searching for, and ask yourself what it is that makes it work. Approach it as a puzzle. Why does *A Series of Unfortunate Events* work? It does not follow conventional rules. Maybe it is the humor. Maybe it is the voice. Maybe it is the episodic nature of the series. And so on. Why does Violet, as a character, work? (Or find your own examples.)

#1: Initial revision by

DPT‭ · 2020-03-16T19:59:33Z (about 4 years ago)

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Your protagonist's description reminds me of Violet Baudelaire in the opening chapters of *A Series of Unfortunate Events.*

She was an inventor, and she was well drawn. Which is to say, she had easily-envisioned personality traits and mannerisms, such as tying her hair with a ribbon every time she invented something.

She was distinctive, and this is what draws readers to her.

Answer #1:

Give your character distinctions. Give your character a few traits that are unusual, and make those traits specific. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head. Brainstorm some yourself too.

Your character refuses to buy produce, instead goes out of his way to learn what is edible along the local roadways and eats that as he travels. Sometimes he makes a mistake and becomes ill, to good story-effect.

Your character collects something odd, like moths. Not living moths, mind you, because living moths perform invaluable ecosystem services which your character knows backward and forward (and shares with all comers). No, your character collects dead moths. He recently found a (rare moth) from (strange land) dead on a cart. He collects it and wonders what it means, perhaps deducing something clever and story related.

Your character is kind to his elders. He is kind. When others are annoyed by old people, he sees what is in the elders, worth kindness. (And besides, he is a kind soul). Perhaps the elderly are like moths, to him, in how others don't value them as they should. (Hopefully your protagonist does not collect them.)

Answer #2:

More broadly, find characters in your own reading that have some element of what you are searching for, and ask yourself what it is that makes it work. Approach it as a puzzle. Why does *A Series of Unfortunate Events* work? It does not follow conventional rules. Maybe it is the humor. Maybe it is the voice. Maybe it is the episodic nature of the series. And so on. Why does Violet, as a character, work? (Or find your own examples.)

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