13: 3 Must-Haves for Characters Readers Will Obsess Over

If your goal is to create a character who hooks readers on page one and lingers in their minds long after they’ve closed the book, this is a blog worth sticking around for.

Throughout my research for my first draft, and from my personal experience as a reader who gets obsessed with fictional people, I’ve found that the most compelling characters usually have three key things in common.

1. A Flaw That Drives Their Arc

A compelling character isn’t perfect.

They have a belief, fear, trait, or blind spot that limits them. Something they must confront and evolve beyond by the end of the story.

This flaw is what creates internal tension and opens the door for transformation. Without it, the character stays static - and static characters are forgettable.

Take Severus Snape, for example. He’s my favourite character in Harry Potter, and I’ve realised it’s because he has one of the most powerful character arcs in the series. Snape’s initial flaw is his deep-seated hatred toward Harry. But by the end, we learn that everything he did (his sacrifices, his choices) was driven by his love for Lily Potter and a determination to protect Harry, no matter the cost. Even when every glance at Harry is a painful reminder of James Potter (the boy who bullied him throughout his entire Hogwarts life) Snape chooses to protect him. That’s powerful character evolution.

2. Rooted in Psychology & Humanity

Every character has a past, just like every person does, and that past shapes how they think, act, react, and protect themselves.

This doesn’t mean piling on clichés or trauma tropes. It means understanding why they are the way they are.

People are three-dimensional. They’re contradictory. They don’t always behave the way we expect. Characters should be the same.

Understanding how your character is wired is vitally important because psychology adds realism and emotional depth.

Like Archer from Archer’s Voice. At first, he’s viewed as a solitary character with low intelligence (someone who can’t even speak) leading the entire community to avoid him. But as Bree learns more about him, we discover Archer is deeply intelligent, carrying trauma from a childhood accident that left him mute. The community’s unwelcomed greetings toward him when he tried to re-enter the world, and their stereotyping of him, pushing him into reclusivity.

In my own writing, I am playing with the dynamic of a character who comes across as the classic “golden retriever” type - always cracking jokes, always lifting people’s moods. But over time, readers will see that this is his subconscious way of distracting others from his own feelings of inadequacy and failure. Those layers? They’re what make a character real.

3. Clear Desire and Conflicting Motives

Great characters want something, and they want something very specific. It is their specific desire that drives their choices. But what makes them truly compelling is when they want more than one thing… and those desires pull them in opposite directions.

Maybe they want to return to the safety and comfort of The Shire, but also want to help the Dwarves take back their treasure from Smaug, which are Bilbo Baggins conflicting desires in J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit. These conflicting desires create tension and growth.

Or take Alex Rider in Anthony Horowitz’s Stormbreaker. He craves the thrill of being a spy, but he also longs for the freedom and simplicity of a normal life. These opposing motives make him relatable and layered.

Your character may want power and belonging. Safety and revenge. This inner tug-of-war gives your character layers and makes their journey feel real.

If you build your character with these three elements - a flaw, psychology, and conflicting desires - you’re not just creating someone interesting to read about. You’re building someone readers will root for. And that’s where the magic happens.

The Character Workbook

Over the years, I’ve downloaded so many character worksheets. Some had great questions, others had layouts I loved. But none of them had everything I needed in one place.

So, I did what writers do best: I pieced together my favourite parts, filled in the gaps, added what I wished existed, and created a template that finally worked for me.

Now, I want to share it with you!

This workbook is the result of trial, error, dozens of half-filled Word docs, and a deep love for characters who feel as real as the people we know in real life. It’s designed to help you explore your characters on a deeper level without feeling overwhelmed or boxed in.

If you’ve ever wished for a single, beautiful place to dream up layered characters and actually use those notes in your writing, this is it. And I’m so glad it’ll be in your hands soon.

Coming early SEPTEMBER.

To be the first one to know when The Character Workbook is dropping, be sure to subscribe to my email list at the bottom of the page!

Let’s bring your story to life, one compelling character at a time.

Happy writing,

Renee Ella