How to Write Characters Readers Love to Root For
One thing Tolkien, Rowling, and Lewis all have in common?
They all know/knew how to create characters that readers love and root for.
What are the secret ingredients they used that we can too?
Child-likeness.
Vulnerability.
The Underdogs.
Naivety.
Child-likeness
In all their stories that ended up changing the world, they either chose children to follow or childlike creatures.
In Harry Potter, we follow Ron, Hermione, and Harry. They all start out as tots and we follow them through some horrific trials hoping nothing bad happens and that they win and that the bad guys lose.
Why is this?
It is because of innocence. We as humans favor the innocent party and blame and condemn the bad guilty party.
Harry didn’t do anything to Tom Riddle to make find and kill his parents and try to kill him. We obviously think this is horrid and we wish Harry will survive and that Tom will receive just judgment.
That is how Rowling got us to first root for Harry.
We started to care for him when he was only an innocent baby and someone evil came and did horrible things to him that ruined his life.
Lewis did a similar thing choosing different children to follow in Narnia.
For instance in the lion the witch and the wardrobe we see Lucy an innocent little girl lost in a strange world with no one to help her against the evil witch that rules over the land in great fear and darkness.
Mr. Tumnus finds Lucy and tricks her into falling asleep at this house so he can deliver her over to the evil witch queen.
Vulnerability
Again we have a vulnerable, naive and innocent youth pitted against an older more powerful character with an unreasonable motive to hurt or kill the child.
Instantly as a rational human, we are rooting for the poor child to not be harmed and for the evil queen to receive punishment for her evil acts.
It’s only natural to feel this way given the scenario.
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The Underdogs
Tolkien didn’t use children. But he chose creatures that had a scenario that was just as persuasive: Hobbits.
Hobbits are extremely childlike in nature and we would never want any harm to befall them.
When we think about Sauron sending orcs to carry out genocide on them and burn down the shire we are in no way rooting for Sauron. We are most assuredly hoping for the best for the little fury footed hobbits.
In each of these scenarios, the author gave us a world where the underdogs are pitted against antagonists that are much more powerful and cunning than they.
Why do we root for the underdog?
Who do we love a great underdog story?
Don’t we resonate with the underdog?
Don’t most of us feel like the underdog that is just trying to make it?
Naivety
We were once children and had adventures of our own.
We have children and see them and want to protect them.
Children are the picture of innocence and naivety and we are naturally inclined to root for them.
Use this knowledge if you dare to write your next story.
Hope this helps!
Happy writing!
How to Write Characters Readers Love to Root For
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How to Write Characters Readers Love to Root For
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