Iconic Characters - Blog Posts

Tips to Writing Memorable Characters- Authoring Advice 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Here is a few characters you may know. 

Harry Potter       Gandalf      Yoda     Joker       Mary Poppins

Jack Sparrow     Sherlock Holmes     Winnie the Pooh 

Do you notice some similarities? Probably not many, but you still have probably heard of these characters. I haven’t even read or seen the Lord of the Rings, and yet I know who Gandalf is. I have a few ideas why that is. Each iconic character has something unique about them that sticks in your mind.

Appearance-

Harry Potter best suits this category. His name may be famous because of the popular book series named after him, but If I showed you a single picture of a lightning bolt and perhaps some glasses you would immediately know who it is.

His famous scar and classic glasses are famous. This is because Harry Potter has a unique trait about his appearance no one else has. You should consider adding traits like this to some of your characters.

The other famous characters I have listed also have special aspects as well. Yoda is a small, green goblin thing. Winnie the Pooh is a yellow bear wearing a red jacket. 

(Not to mention that people can dress up as your character easier if there’s details specific to them)

Speech-

Who else would hold this category? Yoda has one of the most well known ways to talk. Speaks backwards, he does. Yoda is as memorable as he because of the way he talks.

 If your character has a distinctive voice, this will link something to your readers mind. Your character can be unique just by the way they talk. Consider giving quirks to your characters speech. (Maybe not your main character. Readers may find it annoying after a while. Choose a side character.)

The Joker, Winnie the Pooh, and even Jack Sparrow all have unique ways to communicate.

Personality-

Perhaps the hardest to write. Personalities are always difficult, and yet one of the most effective.

Cap’n Jack Sparrow’s personality is the reason why him and the whole franchise was famous. 

The character of the character is usually the funnest and maybe funniest to read. If a character is funny and charismatic they are automatically my favorite. Personality can make readers love or hate your character. But even if they do hate them at least you did your job and gave them a personality. The more readers love or hate your character, the more they will remember them. And the more the reader is entertained by just simply reading about them.

Jack Sparrow has the funniest lines and oddities.if you want to give a reader a reason to remember your character, I suggest giving them a strong and unique character.

Quirks-

Everybody has quirks, so your character should already have some. But little strange things a character does will just be one step to having a iconic character. 

Collecting rocks, singing while doing work, sleeping with a stuffed animal, writing poetry, baking, obsessed with perfection, random mood swings, and art are all examples of quirks (some may apply to a few readers.)

Maybe you should try a quirk against a person’s personality. Say if a person is the most serious person you would have ever met and they love dogs. They go completely out of character because they saw a puppy. This will not only make your readers love them but also remember their strange oddity.

Quotes-

One of my favorites! I love repeating random quotes from my favorite books.

(Don’t tell me you don’t know where “And In the morning, I’m making waffles.” is from.)

The things characters say can inspire people, make them laugh, make them think, make them love or hate the character. Dialog is part of the characters personality, and reveal the wisdom that a character was hiding. The more unique the quote or meaningful, the more its associated with the book and your character. Thats what you want for an iconic character. Think of every character you love, can you name one quote from each one, or multiple?

Actions-

The actions a character makes can be unique to that character. Actions can reveal a person’s true colors. Some choices can cause readers to have respect or despise a character. 

(A character without any actions and choices are probably not going to become iconic. (unless that’s what makes them memorable, a couch potato with no cares in the world))

Achievements-

The achievements of a person can make them legendary, that includes characters. Not many legendary characters are helpless morons with no spine.

Powers-

Powers can automatically make your character unique. I don’t have much to say on this topic because it’s so big. I can talk for hours about powers, but I won’t. Maybe give your character some powers, like Mary Poppins, Yoda, Gandalf, or Harry Potter. 

Thats all I got!

Who is this                                             

Vs.

 Thank you for reading! Have a FANTASTIC day! Have fun writing, fellow author!😊