The Right To Write

Tips On Writing The "Special" Character

Let's cover another wonderful topic on how your character is possibly the most annoying character on the face of the earth. He's the only one who can save the day, because he's the "chosen" one, the only thing between planets colliding and nations going bankrupt. Don't you love him?

Me neither. 

Here's a few things you should know to make a less-horrendous favorite-of-the-gods.

I am normal. I am special. Those are the two sentences that immediately throw me off. "I am normal." That's a bit ironic, isn't it? Since your character is tipping over buildings with the flick of his finger and decomposing structures with his acid breath. "I am special." At least you're honest, but you're missing the point.

The sole existence of your book depends on if your character is special or not, in which, he obviously is, so shut that mouth of yours. Readers don't need to know that your protagonist is special, they need to know why he's special. Show over tell. 

Don't tell your readers he's the appointed one, show them that he risks his life to save a drowning child on the beach. Don't write amazing all over him, show the readers a little glimpse into how he graciously handed a homeless woman five dollars. His specialty is fully defined by what he does, not what you, a love-struck author, think of him. 

Here's an example. Do you think a gang of rough men would believe you more if you ran up to them and told them you could smash a glass bottle from fifty feet away with a pebble, or rather, would they believe you if you know... you actually did it. This is exactly how readers feel about the situation. Seeing is believing. Readers are a tough crowd. Writing "he can do this and that" all over your novel does exactly nothing. Because reading is believing, and reading less great writing... isn't believing. I'll attend to that later.

Limits. I have said this, and I will say it again. Just because as a writer you have no boundaries, doesn't mean you shouldn't set boundaries. Ben the Hen has laser vision; did I forget to mention he has the power of teleportation, element manipulation, and super sexy guitar playing, and infuriating readers. Don't forget that last one. 

Do yourself a favor and lower the superhero bar a bit.

Standing Out Is a Matter of Character. This is where most people go wrong. Writers naturally gravitate towards a prominent way of standing out: Powers, looks, identity, and sometimes nothing to do with the character himself. Even if they do have a good sense of limits, they expect their readers to embrace their character for these reasons. One quick note, the character himself is everything. It's how your character thinks and acts, his abilities and position have nothing to do with it. I've talked about tailoring good characters.

Focus on building a strong, complex character over a role-devouring spotlight-hogger.

Weakness Over Strength. One observation I made was that readers appreciate a character more through what they can't do. It's all a matter of failure and relating to weakness. Take Jonas from The Giver, he ultimately stood out because he couldn't adjust to the society. He thought differently, and tried to understand it, but simply couldn't.

This is evidently what brings your character to life and gradually lifts them into the underlying spotlight. Because even after the flashy abilities and admirable qualities, we all want a human character to root for. This doesn't mean you need to slap the most useless pancake onto the pages, but it also doesn't mean you should bring out a ridiculously skilled character.

The most realistic, flawed characters have the most protruding qualities.

There's also to say that your character's weaknesses play roles in the book. They further the conflict and form a main flaw, as I have discussed, so humanizing the character is not the only role they play. 

The Character Grows Into These Qualities. Characters never start out fully clothed in the golden chainmail under the gleam of the red sun to march off to battle. By the very mood of it, those scenes are reserved for major turning points. Your protagonist needs to drift into a type of realization that he is in full control of the plot, and that realization comes with time, namely, the first plot point. 

There comes a time in your book, preferably a third through, that your character finds that he cannot return to the life he had, a point of no return. That he has trapped himself in a role he can't reverse and fully accepts his goal. This is the point where your character begins take on his special features, where his character and actions start showing through, where both his weaknesses and strengths become more apparent. 

All I have to say is don't force it on the readers at a first glance, it's overwhelming and obvious, let your character flower into his role.

Hey everybody! Yeah, I haven't been writing much in general... so eh. I just really needed to address this, because not a lot of Wattpaders take the hint. Did I miss out on some points? Because I still feel that I have some left to tell... Please add or argue.

And yippee, NoahBarfield has decided to give Wattpad a try. Please check out his stuff, he's an amazing author. He writes a lot of stuff about people who die. Fun fun fun..