After reading two writing group submissions from two different writers… the first where the protagonist was overshadowed by a secondary character and the second, where secondary characters seemed to disappear from a scene completely…I started to wonder what draws readers to characters and makes them memorable. I’ve concluded that magnetic characters in novels share traits with real charismatic people. Some of these common qualities are listed below.  I hope this list inspires you to create characters your readers will become obsessed with.

1. There’s something admirable or likable about them. This doesn’t mean you should create characters that are all good. Perfection makes a character unrealistic and boring. But there should be something readers admire about them. Maybe they’re super brave. Maybe they love their little sister. Maybe they’re a hard worker or a great friend.  Could be they speak their mind. Bottom line, if they have a good quality that makes readers say, “That one thing about Mark or Mary, is pretty awesome,” your readers will be drawn to them.
2. They possess unique traits, names, and mannerisms that help readers differentiate them from other characters. Sometimes I read novels and I can’t tell one secondary character from another. But if you give your secondary characters unique sounding names, physical traits, and ways of speaking, your readers will remember them and find them interesting.
3. We know them well. Think about it. We enjoy spending time with our friends, more than with strangers. So, if you want your readers to gravitate to a character, make sure they know her. Give us her backstory, get inside her head, reveal her hopes and dreams, and show her interacting with other characters.
4. They are passionate, positive, and energetic. Who doesn’t want to be around a real person or a fictional character who is a doer. Make sure your characters are active, driven, and retain their hope. Having hope may sound strange, given that we writers often put our characters in dire circumstances. But it’s vital that a character keeps moving onward toward a goal and retains that hope sliver. Inactive, passive people and characters are easily forgotten.
5. We can relate to his or her struggle. People tend to want to be around people with similar life battles and experiences. It’s why exhausted new moms join mom groups. It’s one of the reasons why writers spend time with other writers.  It’s why cops hang out in bars together after shifts. If you write a character and convey her struggle authentically, readers will relate, and they’ll want to keep reading about her.
6. They have people around them who push them to be great. Think about great athletes. They usually have great rivals. Michael Jordan had Isiah Thomas. Tiger Woods had Phil Mickelson.  Joe Fraizer boxed Muhammad Ali. If you want your protagonists to be magnetic, write strong secondary characters and antagonists. Doing this will force you to create well-developed and interesting protagonists that will pull readers in.
7. They feel authentic.  In life, no one wants to be around someone who’s fake. We’re attracted to people who are genuine and real. It’s the same in novels. If you flesh out your character and make her believable, you’ll create a magnetic character.
8. They’re present. I once wrote a story beginning and literally left my protagonist out of the action. I forgot to share her thoughts and feelings about the situation she’d found herself in. I reduced her to a narrator who was merely reporting what others were doing around her. If you want your character to be magnetic, she has to show up.

Another way to create magnetic characters is to study them. Jo March, Jay Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Scarlett O’Hara are considered to be some of the most memorable novel characters. It might also help to watch people who are magnetic in real life. Tom Cruise, Princess Diana, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Oprah Winfrey, and Martin Luther King are all viewed as magnetic.

Has your character ever disappeared or been overshadowed in a scene? If so, how did you solve the problem? How would you describe a magnetic person or character? What exactly draws you to them?

I hope this post helps. Thanks for reading, and always keep writing!