
What makes a character memorable? - pavelegorkin
https://readandwrite.today/essay/what-makes-a-character-memorable.html
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perlgeek
Many stories feel flat if the antagonist has simplistic or one-dimensional
desires.

In basically all of the James Bond movies, the villains want revenge and/or
world domination.

In contrast, in Worm [1] you spend some time with the antagonists (and a lot
of side characters), and get a much better appreciation of their feelings and
motivations. Sometimes you even feel sympathy for very messed-up characters to
the degree that it creeps you out. (Fun fact: there's even a chapter from the
perspective of a dog. Brilliant! :D)

[1] [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/](https://parahumans.wordpress.com/)

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cm2012
Worm is amazing and surprisingly deep.

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oehtXRwMkIs
It is so far in my life the best story I have consumed in any media. I
remember when I finished it I couldn't really enjoy movies or other books for
several months. Every story felt shallow afterwards. Took a long time for me
to forget Worm and to start enjoying other stories again.

~~~
kanzenryu2
You may well have already seen it, but
[http://www.hpmor.com/](http://www.hpmor.com/) was even better, IMHO. It was
there that I saw my first recommendation for Worm.

~~~
oehtXRwMkIs
Thanks, I have my doubts but I'll definitely give it a read.

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spats1990
An alternate approach: the Carrier Bag theory of fiction by Ursula Le Guin,
which argues (gently) against "the hero's desires" and the Campbellian
monomyth:
[https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=eJj4RlFKWCoC&lpg=PA149&o...](https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=eJj4RlFKWCoC&lpg=PA149&ots=1oO9ZkEaSX&dq=the%20carrier%20bag%20theory%20of%20fiction&pg=PA149#v=onepage&q&f=false)

~~~
moonchild
If that link doesn't work, try this [https://www.deveron-
projects.com/site_media/uploads/leguin.p...](https://www.deveron-
projects.com/site_media/uploads/leguin.pdf)

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mrob
I don't think characters need to be deep to be memorable. The most memorable
character from the Baldur's Gate series, and the only one notable enough to
get his own Wikipedia article[0], is Minsc. Minsc is the cliched stupid-but-
brave warrior hero we've seen hundreds of times before, but he has one
memorable gimmick: his pet hamster Boo. The inherent comedy of this
combination is enough to make him very popular. "Go for the eyes, Boo. GO FOR
THE EYES! RrraaaAAGHGHH!"

[0] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minsc](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minsc)

~~~
pavelegorkin
You are right, the story can be good even with flat characters, but personally
I end up rereading and rewatching ones where all the characters are vivid with
their good and bad sides.

Such as First law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie — every main character is a
fucking living person

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lfrmgnd
I like the framework. The idea that desire is a universal part of the human
condition is a good one. In thinking about the three desires you've listed –
possession, deliverance, and revenge – I can't help but wonder where internal
desires fit. The listed desires seem external in nature; that is, something
outside of the hero's inner world. Where does something like the pursuit of
meaning, the hope that you will be remembered, or the desire to feel loved,
fit? Those desires seem equally, if not more powerful as drivers of the human
condition.

~~~
pavelegorkin
That was just an example. You're absolutely right, there are much more moving
desires than listed.

I don't think, although, that there is such a thing as completely internal
desire. Love and need to be loved can't happen without external intelligence.

I can think only one such motivator — fear of death. Which can lead to hope
being remembered and other powerful motivs

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bigfoot675
I agree that this technique probably makes better characters, but I'm not so
sure that better = memorable. The title and the article itself don't entirely
match up imo

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pavelegorkin
I can oppose that if you make your character vivid, with more points where a
reader can associate himself with this person or moved by his feeling, there
is a higher chance that the reader would remember a character.

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m463
for desires they say:

\- possession

\- deliverance

\- revenge

I thought most people just wanted to leave the world a little better place.
There are plenty of obstacles to that minor desire that we can all empathize
with.

