Some idea:
· Conflicted morals: a character that's forced to choose between right or wrong or the lesser of two evils.
· A character that can do something that no one else can.
· A character that is out of their depth. For example, the least able person to be King/queen, but that tries anyway.
· Relationship with others. Examples: part of a gang (see Six of Crows); in love with someone who they cannot be with (Romeo and Juliet).
· A character that reminds us of ourselves. This creates empathy, which is an important ingredient in making a character likable. The character may do something the reader has always wanted to do but is unable.
· A character that's proactive.
· Imperfections. They enable the reader to connect with the character, but they also ass a whole layer of conflict for that individual. Mental challenges could be involved too, like depression or a lack of confidence.
· Humour. We like people who entertain us. Humor isn't restricted to dialogue: accidents and facial expressions, body language and the like can all give a likable effect.
Crafting characters: sliding scales
One way to help achieve and measure a character's effects on a reader is to use sliding scales. This is a technique taught by Brandon Sanderson. He thinks that each character can be stripped back to three core features, measurables on sliding scales. These scales are competence, likeability, and proactivity. Each scale is linked with the other.
