Dick Grayson is a popular character. He's beloved by the whole DC fandom and it's easy to see why. He's charming, charismatic and an overall nice guy. The fact that he's gorgeous also helps. His popularity amongst us DC nerds means he's featured in a lot of fanfictions. He's quite easy to write either out of character or one dimensional. Dick Grayson is the heart of the DC Universe and this guide will give you advice on how to write him.
[ SECTION 3 INCLUDES MENTIONS OF RAPE IN RELATION TO DEVIN GRAYSON'S 'NIGHTWING' RUN, IF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE PLEASE SKIP THAT SECTION. I'M MENTIONING IT IN RELATION TO WRITING AND I WOULD NEVER MEAN TO TRIGGER ANYONE INTENTIONALLY ]
CHARACTER BACKGROUND
While Dick's backstory has often been tweaked over the years with different characters, such as Aunt Harriet and Raptor, coming in and out of it, the general consensus on what his backstory is this. Richard John Grayson was born to John Grayson and Mary Grayson nee Lloyd, either both or one of his parents is of Romani/Roma descent (it's usually his mother.) His parents were circus acrobats who worked for Haly's Circus, he eventually joined his parents in the 'Flying Graysons.' Mob boss Tony Zucco was responsible for his parents' death. He was taken in by Bruce Wayne as his ward and eventually become his sidekick, Robin. He's a founding member of the Teen Titans and has taken on the mantle of Nightwing, the name of a Kyptonian bird. Dick has also taken up the mantle of Batman with Damian Wayne as his Robin and has been a secret agent under the alias, Agent 37.
PRETTY BOY ACROBAT
Dick as a character is mostly defined by his optimism. He's the heart of the DCU and for good reason. He always sees the positive in people and can bring that out in people as seen with characters like Damian and Bruce. When writing dialogue for Dick, try and implement this optimism as well as his wit. Dick is quite a witty guy, that's another thing that can be added into dialogue. Dick's nice guy charms led to him being very charismatic and charming, because he's a genuinely kind person. He's an attractive guy and a complete chick magnet (also a dude magnet if you remember that Midnighter recognised Dick by his ass.) Characters in canon are attracted to Dick because, while being physically attractive, he's a charming guy who's nice and caring towards those he cares about.
A huge aspect of Dick's character is his brotherly instinct. He's very brotherly towards the other Robins as best seen with his interactions with Tim, Damian and Steph. Dick will actively protect those younger than him. When writing and developing his relationships with characters, whether canon or original, try and include this brotherly aspect. This can be done by Dick acting like a teacher and helping the character learn whether it's in superhero-ing or other stuff, or Dick caring for the character similar to a older brother or a parent.
