Important characters require backstory, beliefs, and personality. The quantity of detail depends on the level of importance. Not all characters require back story, there is nothing wrong with “throw away” characters. The most important thing needed for writing characters is empathy. The writer needs to know how to walk a mile in someone’s shoes, how it feels to experience pain that they themselves have never experienced before, to desire things they already take for granted, and to think in ideas they normally wouldn’t. Each character should offer a new perspective to the writer, let the writer travel on a different life path.
Normal
The normal MC is a symbol of the everyday person, in terms of both morals and abilities, and the easiest for the reader to identify with. They usually act to fulfill a personal goal, rather than for the greater good. At the beginning, they lack a situation, training, or ability, and are otherwise helpless. They experience the most personal growth, deciding their own definitions for good and evil, with their journey revolving around which path they will take.
Hero
The hero is meant to be a symbol of good, both the good in humanity, or the good in an idea. Their presence in the story is supposed to enforce the undeniability of a concept, like they themselves are that concept itself, such as the right of freedom, the value of life, or the obligations of the capable. They should inspire other characters or the reader to believe in the idea, but they require strong believability so that their actual personality isn’t forgotten and they’re reduced to a talking point. They have to be realistic, yet exemplary. They persevere without giving up principles but can break rules only at great personal anguish. If they act according to their beliefs, they have to be ready to face the consequences. If they suffer a crisis of conscious or have to go against what is right, they have to suffer and learn from it. While not without flaws, they must be reliable.
Antihero
Often mistaken for the villain, the antihero pursues own goals that he deems to be good, even when it means acting badly. He makes sacrifices that the reader might not agree with but exists in a moral gray area that allows for more choices. The antihero represents the flaws in people, and while not often revered as much as the hero, is more believable and easier to identify with. Similar to the hero, the antihero represents an aspect of life, but theirs is a dark truth about the world, revealing what it costs for good to take place. “If you want peace, prepare for war.” “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.” They show that the world isn’t fair and that good intentions can lead to bad actions.
Villain
The villain pursues his own interest, despite those interests being evil. As the main character, he offers a change of pace from regular stories by bringing a completely different set of goals, options, and actions from the hero. They must offer results to keep the reader’s attention, like conquests and heists, or entice them with their immoral lifestyles. To gain satisfaction through breaking the rules, to be free of conscious and simply take what is desired, it is a craving everyone feels. The villain should speak to that craving, let the reader get a taste of what it’s like to unstoppable, not answering to anyone or anything. While the main aspect of his character or his goal may be evil, the rest of his character might not be. The difference between the villain and the antihero is that the antihero has a belief, while the villain has a desire.
Friends
Friends are a means of revealing your main character’s personality through dialogue, even if the dialogue has nothing to do with the plot. What makes your character laugh? What annoys them? How do they spend their free time when they aren’t in story mode? What kind of people do they attract or are attracted to? During the story, they offer segues for explanations and solutions to problems that the MC alone can’t solve. Their abilities or ideas act as limiters for the main character, so that the main character doesn’t conveniently become able to do anything and possess all opinions.
Family
The family shows the upbringing of the main character, giving hints as to how they came to be who they are, and how they truly act. They can be a way to show that the main character is just like anyone else, facing the same problems and living the same life. They can serve as both an obstacle and a motivation. If the main character is young, then the presence of parents hampers the adventure (it’s hard to save the world when you have a curfew), or their absence explains certain actions of beliefs (like Batman).
Backup characters
Backup characters are rarely seen, but help expand the universe of the story and can even come to save the day. If there is action involving some variable force (magic or fictional technology), they can be used to give a wider view and provide examples of that force without having to delve very deeply into backstory. They show that there is a world outside the main character’s drama and that the choices of the main character affect other people.
Love Interest
The love interest is one of the main goals of the story. They alter the MC’s personality and act as motivators, as well as symbolizing life after the story. Most importantly, they reveal the deep psychological issues in the MC. Do they have trust issues? Self-esteem issues? Does the MC feel that they are worthy of love, or feel that they deserve or are better off alone? The love interest takes the MC off the pedestal that the plot sets them on, humanizing them through the desire for romance.
Predator:
Evil from the start. They serve as a challenge for the MC to prove how good they are in comparison, and in some cases, the entire human race. Their goal is to establish the normalcy of evil, that evil is the natural state of the world. The hero has to prove them wrong.
Antihero:
Believes what they are doing is right. The antihero’s strongest trait is how agreeable they are to the reader. Rather than good vs evil, it becomes a contest of who has the stronger beliefs, and which belief deserves to stand at the top, even if both are right in one way or another.
Avenger:
Has been wronged by the protagonist. This can be either a way of showing an MC’s mistake or character flaw, or getting the reader to feel sympathy for someone other than the MC. Even if the MC is a hero, those opposing him might not necessarily be evil, like the antihero. If the antagonist believes they have been wronged, then it shows that they experience the same feelings and pain as everyone else.
A neutral or good character simply in conflict with MC.
Not all stories need good vs evil or a contest of beliefs. Sometimes two normal people can each want the same thing and be in conflict to get it.
They can be used to reinforce severity and danger, such as the red shirts in Star Trek or civilians caught up in the crossfire. When tragedy strikes a public place or there is a scene of battle in a war, the details of death have to be made known. If the writer can’t acknowledge or imagine the unavoidable deaths in such scenarios, then they shouldn’t be writing them. A story’s realism depends on how much plot armor is used to protect people. Preventing casualties with convenient death cheats like a Deus Ex Machina or resurrection infantilizes the story and insults the reader. However, too much death, such as killing characters for shock value or to manufacture drama can be just as detrimental. It is hard for a plot to remain steady if characters are constantly being introduced only to die.
They can be used to alter the storyline. The death of a character both removes possibilities (how is a heist supposed to happen if one of the key members dies halfway through?) and demands the making of decisions. When someone dies, some action has to be made by the other characters.
They can invoke emotion in the reader or characters, but this should be only a side-effect, rather than a goal. Simply killing a character to try and make the reader cry is cheap and exploitive. Rather, the goal should be to refine one’s writing that they can actually instill those feelings. The writer must be able to fully-articulate the feelings of the characters, to describe the effect the deceased had on their lives. Even if the deceased never actually had any dialogue of action, if they were introduced into the story as already being dead, you must make the writer feel what the other characters feel and understand the worth of the deceased.
They can show how characters deal with loss. If a friend or family member dies, how does the MC handle it? Do they bottle it up and try to push on through? Do they wallow in despair and try to drown their sorrows in some vice? Are they perfectly zen and accept death peacefully? Do they go on a violent rampage? Characters develop when exposed to choices, hardship, and unexpected occurrences. How they deal with loss is a great way to show what kind of person they are, and what kind of person they shall become.
Collision: MC meets a character that starts the story (enemy or ally/love interest) by forcing their own circumstances onto the MC or revealing a life-changing fact, such as if there are secret details about the MC’s life or origins that they aren’t aware of (bloodline, prophecies, etc) or the unexpected truth of the world (Neo learning about the Matrix). Normal life takes a hard turn onto a new, exciting story. The MC is most often normal and powerless and develops their true character.
Linear: A continuous story with one main goal. The MC is introduced as already on this path and is familiar with elements of the story. The Lord of the Rings fits this design with the Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, who are already familiar with orcs and combat before they even join the Fellowship.
Segmented: Story broken up into pieces either through time (Harry Potter) or goal (collection stories and video game plot).
Problem-solving: The villain is introduced before the main character, often in the form of an oppressive government or other evil force, and the MC, growing up in a world shaped by said evil force, challenges the system.
Rags to riches/happily ever after: MC starts out poor but ends up with wealth and prestige, either showing the benefits of hard work and determination or offering an easy shortcut that the reader will envy. (Rocky, Aladdin, Cinderella, etc)
Tragedy: MC (often bad) falls from grace and story ends with their death, or make a choice that deviates from their normal life and causes their death. This is the most realistic storyline, showing the unfairness and brutality of life. (Achilles, Breaking Bad, etc)
Slice of life: Light drama focusing on social interactions and lifestyle of character.
Human vs. human
Basic conflict and antagonism, good guy vs bad guy.
Human vs. society
MC wants to change the world, fighting institutionalized corruption and inequality. Basically the plot of every dystopian YA novel.
Human vs. mother nature
Shows both the resilience of the human spirit and the utter helplessness of humanity in the face of nature.
Human vs. God/fate
The MC, symbolizing freedom and choice, is fighting against a predetermined fate or system.
Human vs. supernatural
The MC faces entities that aren’t human, pitting the human race against something that is either its total opposite or too similar for cohabitation. Ghosts and demons as enemies turn the MC into a representation of light and life, showing the strength of the living. Intelligent monsters and aliens can be a way to reflect humanity’s flaws and history, through means such as interplanetary colonialism, like in Independence Day. They highlight the strengths and weaknesses of humans, as well as evils in comparison.
Human vs. self
The MC faces inner demons, such as mental illness, addiction, or past trauma, or doesn’t want to be pulled into the story due to such faults.
Story backgrounds require extensive detail, either through ingenuity or research. If the story is set in a fantasy world with its own history, culture, or natural laws, then the story must be an accurate representation as to how those variables shaped life for the MC. Differences between the story world and the real world must be fully elaborated and acknowledged. Anything out of the ordinary for the real world must be explained so that the reader can understand how it fits together into the story world.
If the story takes place in the real world, then it requires research. Scenes or storylines taking place in actual areas require an understanding of culture, appearances, and even history. For example, if a country in that story uses nuclear weapons, then either it actually possesses nukes in the real world, or the story elaborates on how they got nukes in the first place. Stories in the real world require realism.
Time: Historical fiction/modern fiction.
What historical events are happening in the story? What is the quality of life for the people?
Location: Country, planet, etc
What does the country look like? What is its climate and language?
Culture: Societal and character links to the landscape.
What religion do people follow? What are the local customs and beliefs?
Level of fantasy: Level of technology, presence of magic, real-world elements
If magic or a currently-nonexistent technology is present in the story, then how have they shaped the world since their introduction? How might the daily life of a character be different compared to the reader’s because of their presence? Imagine traveling through time and giving a modern computer or cell phone to people of some random time era, and consider how that would change history. Now replace the computer or cell phone with magic or some currently fictional technology.
Convenience is the enemy of stories. The MC must solve problems through effort and sacrifice, with the situation or enemy having a fair chance of defeating them. For instance, unless your story focuses on time travel, NEVER solve problems through time travel. Unless your story is about exorcisms, NEVER solve problems through prayers being answered and divine intervention. Solving a situation through an unbeatable force makes problems irrelevant and nothing short of cheating. Luck should manifest in the MC catching a foul ball or managing a lucky shot at a target, not coming across an unusual amount of money exactly when needed or breaking the laws of probability. Any asset introduced must have its implications fully investigated and acknowledged to avoid plot holes.
How plot ties together, connecting the storylines and giving them all either a proper ending or acknowledgment as to the absence of a proper end.
The MC shows their true character, becoming a different person from when the story first began. Either their beliefs have changed, their personality has changed, or their abilities have changed.
All questions have to be answered, eliminating plot holes.
Is the story finished or is there room for a sequel?
What is the aftermath? How are the characters’ lives changed now that the goal has been fulfilled or the enemy defeated?
By the way, I googled my writing handle, just to see if my name was coming up anywhere, and I got some weird results. It was showing up on random sites, sometimes in unclickable text at the bottom of pages that I’ve never been to before. You guys might want to look yourselves up. If you get similar results, please tell me.