As writers we must have compassion for all the characters we create. If we’re going to play God, we have to be a loving God, and you can’t love with your brain.
--Robert Olen Butler
Characters
Misc. Notes on Characters
"Protagonists have to protag." -- Jim Hines
Basically, this means that your character has to play a role in the grand scheme of things. Everything happens out of the protagonist's attempts at achieving the story goal. Characters master their own fate. Don't Deus ex machina us!
Chekhov says to center on one character at a time. They are the moon and the rest of the characters are scattered in the background, the stars.
Pay attention to how your characters interact. If they just met, make sure their relationship progresses naturally. Friendship doesn't grow without trust, and trust doesn't grow without reason for trusting. Love doesn't grow without honesty. Characters revealing things to each other is a good way to start a relationship.
Swain says that a character's three functions are to provide continuity, give meaning, and create feeling. The reader always judges the protagonist as well as lives through him or her.
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