BEFITTING CHARACTER

The first character a novelist creates is the central character, the protagonist. Aside from the physical description, there are many other aspects the writer has to consider in defining  characters who fits the role they plays in the novel. The following requirements in general apply to any character in the novel, but we will discuss them from the standpoint of the protagonist:

1. The protagonist must have a goal, and it should not be easy to attain. There should be some thing or person, the antagonist, opposing him, making it hard for him to succeed. In agent 007 movies James Bond is given an assignment or a mission. Completing it is his goal. There is always a dangerous antagonist in his path who might even kill him to prevent him from succeeding. If there is a gang of people opposing the protagonist, then there is usually one  who poses the worst threat. The opposing character must have an evil side, and a good reason to oppose the protagonist.
2. The protagonist must have a motivation. Otherwise the goal will be meaningless for him. The motivation should be personal in nature. Having a zero bank balance is a motivation to either find a job or rob a bank.
3. Once the protagonist has a goal and the motivation behind it, he or she must be willing to act and must have drive.The actions taken to achieve the goal reveal character. A man is about to be run over by a car. The protagonist risks his life to save him. This action reveals his character.
4. The protagonist must have a personal point of view, a belief system, which derives from his or her experiences and background.
5. Unless the protagonist is from another planet, he must have a human side. He or she has feelings, ability to love or hate,  fears, some insurmountable, frustrations etc.

Once you have figured out what your character is like, You can reveal him or her in one of the following ways.

1. Describing physical attributes.
2. By clothing worn
3. Through psychological attributes
4. Through mannerisms.
5. Through actions, as stated earlier.
6. In dialogue.

Good novelists expose their protagonist and antagonists gradually though the novel, not all at once. No reader is interested in an ordinary man. They are interested in charters who want something, right now, and go for it.