[Gary Wassner]

As an author of course I wonder what it is that endears a character to a reader.

What do you remember most? What strikes you? Is it the description of the face, the hair, eye color? The clothing, the demeanor? The way a character stands or talks? Perhaps the strength of character, the feelings he/she invokes.

I suppose it's always a combination of the above. But certain things stick out when you recall a character from a book you're particularly fond of. What makes YOU stand up and take notice? And most of all, what makes you remember that character years and years later?

[manephelien]

For me it's certainly more the way they interact with other characters than, say, their looks.

[Gary Wassner]

No question it's more than looks. But when you say, 'how they interact' what are your referring to specifically that stands out? Is there anything specific?

[cougs]

I tend to remember characters that have some type a belief or goal that they will do anything to uphold or achieve. Characters that try to be as just or "good" as possible but are often forced to take negative action to achieve/uphold their goal/belief. Characters that will reflect on what they have done (good or bad), learn from it, and move on.

I know that's kind of specific, and I probably didn't explain it very well, but in a nutshell a character that is trying to keep his sick mother alive, is forced to chose between robbing a man or letting his mother die, does what he knows is wrong but does it because he feels that he must is the kind of character that I remember.

that's not to say I don't like a man clad it black, with lots of knives, that doesn't talk much, and kills people at the drop of a hat. It's just what came to mind when I hurt myself thinking about your question.

[Gary Wassner]

You did describe it very well! It's the heroic that attracts you, and I am in total agreement with that. It attracts so many. And today, even though our heroes aren't often as traditional as they were, they still need to inspire us. When a character says something or does something that make the hair stand up on your arm while you're reading, or makes your heart jump and the blood rush to the head, then you remember them. Sure, we remember the villians and the anti heroes too because they can inspire us in different ways.

I tend to emphathize with characters caught in the middle. Though I love the plain vanilla hero too, I'm drawn to more conflicted personalities, to whom the right choices aren't always so clear.

So I guess for me it's how the character approaches decisions and how he/she interacts with the world, more than just with the other characters.

[manephelien]

Oh, indeed. Characters that stand out for me are for example Boromir and Gollum in LotR. Both are morally fairly ambiguous. The goody-good ones, even such unlikely heroes as the Hobbits, or the noble king, are far less interesting to me as characters.

I want to be able to empathize with a character's life choices, and it shouldn't be too easy or too obvious. Of course, piling too many difficulties on top of a hero or heroine who ultimately triumphs may backfire, if it makes the hero too Mary Sue/Gary Stuish.

[AuntiePam]

For me it's certainly more the way they interact with other characters than, say, their looks.

I agree. For example, a writer can tell me that a character is kind-hearted, but that alone doesn't leave an impression. Show me the character sharing with a stranger, then I'll remember him as being kind-hearted.

Physical descriptors don't stay with me unless they're important to the story or help build the character. I don't care if a man is strong or a woman is beautiful, unless they're going to use that strength and beauty. I don't care what they're wearing unless their clothing is going to change, and the change has something to do with the story.

[Gary Wassner]

Yes, I agree. But it's true for me that when they make movies out of the books I've read with characters I love, if the actor or actress doesn't fit the image of the character that I've created in my mind, I'm put off. So I know that subtly I do imagine the face and style of the characters I most remember. Every once in a while I can read a book and know that if I were the casting director, I'd choose one and only one person to portray that character. I remember reading Sophie's Choice years ago before the movie was made. Meryl Streep was the absolute perfect choice to play Sophie. And she played her perfectly. So for me the author, William Styron, did an amazing job of evoking both physical images and mannerisms.

[sic's mom]

For me I love the heroic characters, but I think I always love the secondary ones just a bit more. In LOTR for me it has always been Sam. He is always there for Frodo no matter what. So maybe it is the loyalty aspect. Sam had his feelings and beliefs and nothing was going to change his mind and he was going to do whatever it took to help Frodo. So loyalty is a big one with me. Maybe that is why I am more of a dog person than a cat person:)

[Radone]

For me it is the tragically flawed character. Boromir is a great example. A noble person pulled apart by his duties and ultimately brought low by the Ring, but rising above it all and in the end, finding redemption.