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2. Their Motivation is Unclear

What if Frodo from The Lord of the Rings didn’t have any motivation. What if he didn’t want to save the Shire, let alone entire Middle Earth? Or what if, Tolkien never really emphasized the fact that the Ring had the power to destroy everything Frodo cared about? 

Why would it be so important to destroy the ring then?

What are the stakes?

Why is he even on this journey?

Why does any of this matter? 

Why does the story even matter? 

Motivation creates a meaningful story. 

​If your main character's motivation isn’t clear, then they seem meaningless. And a meaningless character is a boring character.

Going back to the Hunger Games example, what is Katniss’s motivation? Why does Katniss want to win the Hunger Games?

The answer was made crystal clear from the very beginning of the story. If she didn’t win, she would die. And if she died, her family would starve. 

With that simple, yet clear motivation, Katniss becomes a compelling character and we can’t help but take her side.

We read in fascination as she is spurred on by her motivation and relentlessly pursues her goal. 

What drives your main character to achieve the story goal?

Is your character’s motivation clear throughout the entire story?

When your protagonist’s motivation is clear, they become less robotic, and more interesting.

3. They Have No Emotions

A character that doesn’t express emotions is about as interesting as a rock. (Maybe even less interesting than a rock, because some rocks can be cool) For a great example, look no further than Captain Marvel. 

Giving your protagonist emotions is the key to making the reader relate to the main character.

Think about it...what sets Katniss apart from most YA female main characters? She has emotions.

In an attempt to make strong female leads, authors take away any and all emotions from them.

But instead of making them the fearless hero that they were going for, they end up creating a character that is cold and forgettable. 

Katniss, on the other hand, has just about all of the emotions that exist. Fear, frustration, sadness, hope, happiness, despair, embarrassment, longing, and the list continues. 

There is no moment in the Hunger Games where Katniss just feels “neutral.” 

So in each scene you write, ask yourself, 

“What is this character feeling right now?"

“How can I show their feelings through their thoughts, words, and body language?”

Giving your characters real, raw emotions will make them and your story so much more interesting.

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4. They Don’t Have Reactions

Your characters might go through many traumatic experiences during the course of your book. Their parents die, they go through life and death situations, and the list goes on.

If they respond to these events like a piece of cardboard, then they are going to be as boring as cardboard. 

Big events  in your story are the perfect opportunity to learn more about your characters and their internal struggles. How they react to things speaks volumes about who they are.

If your character just went through a gruesome battle and they shrug it off like it’s any other day, they seem like a psychopath. But if they have a heartfelt emotional response to the horror they just witnessed, they are so much more intriguing.

With each horror Katniss goes through, with each impactful event she experiences, we get to look inside her head and watch how she reacts and changes. 

What results is an ever-evolving character that keeps readers glued to the book. 

Take a look at all the major events in your story, and ask yourself:

How does the main character emotionally, mentally, and physically react to this? How do they change?

Is this reaction true to character? 

Does this deepen the character and show some insight to who this character is?

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5. There’s Nothing New to Learn About Them

A character that makes you ask questions is more interesting than a character who gives you all the answers.

If you can tell you reader everything there is to know about the protagonist in one page, then you have a flat and dull protagonist on your hands. 

Your main character should be like an onion with many layers. You don't know all about them at first, but as the story unfolds, so does all the different layers of your protagonist.

When you first introduce your protagonist, you need to give them a characteristic moment that highlights all the important aspects of who this character is. 

But don’t just stop there. The readers should continue to learn more about this character throughout the story.

As the story progresses, the reader slowly learns more about who the main character is, which makes the character progressively get more and more interesting as the story continues. 

At the beginning of The Hunger Games, all you know about Katniss is that she's a hunter struggling to keep her mother and sister alive. But as the story progresses you learn about the tragic death of her father, her backstory, her fears, desires, and her hidden talents.

Add layers to your character. Throw in a dash of mystery. Make your reader ask questions and keep them engaged. 

What new things will you reveal to your readers about your protagonist as the story progresses?

How can you reveal it in a way that seems natural and not out-of-place?

What deep secrets or hidden traits does your character have that get revealed later on in the story?

Is your protagonist even aware of these hidden traits himself?

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6. They Never Fail

The greatest heroes are not the ones that always win, but the ones that fall down and still manage to get up and persevere. 

A character that never fails is unrelatable and boring.

When a character fails, it gives them room to grow, learn, and develop.

Sometimes, we are too nice to our protagonists, but they must go through adversity, suffering, and hardships. 

Katniss is no exception to this rule. She is struggling before the book even begins, and her troubles only multiply as the story continues.

But all the suffering she perseveres through is one of the reasons why she’s so captivating. She doesn’t brush off the pain like it’s nothing, but she also doesn’t give up on her goal.  

If Katniss were constantly winning, we would write her off as a Mary Sue (a character so perfect and talented to the point of absurdity) and the reader's interest would plummet.

What are you protagonists weaknesses?

How do they fail? 

How do they manage to keep going despite their failure? 

How do their failures change them?

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7. They Don’t Have Values

To bring a character to life, you must give them a heart.

How do you do that?

Give them unshakable values. Without values, characters feel empty and lifeless. 

Characters need core values to drive them and give them life. Otherwise, they will be vague and one-dimensional.

Katniss values family, justice, survival, and freedom. These values, in turn, fuel her motivation and goals. They incite her decisions, give her purpose, and flesh out what kind of person she is.

What does your character believe in?

Why do they believe this? 

What will they fight for?

What drives them?

What will they never do?

Core values dive deep into a character, bring them to life, and make them unforgettable.

8. They Have No Dream Outside Their Main Goal

When a character has no dreams outside of the main story goal, they only live within the pages of the book. 

But when they have dreams outside of the story goal, they seem so much more real and they continue to live on even when the story ends.

A character with many dreams and desires is so much more interesting than a character who just wants to “defeat the bad guy”.

Katniss’s main goal was to survive the Hunger Games, and later, defeat the Capitol. But deep down inside, she really just wanted to run away with Gale and never look back - a dream that she had to smother because of her current hopeless situation. 

If it weren’t for the miserable life she was born into, what could Katniss have become? We see glimpses of her talent for singing, but it goes unrealized because of the current state of things. 

What is your character’s dream that is outside of the main goal?

What life do they wish to live?

What do they wish they had?

Giving your character dreams and desires makes them feel more human and not just a character made to achieve the story’s goal.

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9. They Have No Flaws

Let’s be honest, we all know a perfectly polished character that does no wrong is about as interesting as staring at a blank wall. 

Flaws are what make the characters unique, relatable, and compelling all at the same time.

The most interesting characters aren’t the ones that are completely black or white, but the ones who are gray.

Katniss is far from a perfect person, but that is one of the reasons why she’s so interesting. 

Katniss is talented and resourceful, but she’s also stubborn and very blunt to the point of being rude. She struggles with anger and depression. And though she may act courageous, she struggles with fear, self-loathing, and hopelessness.

Without all these traits, Katniss wouldn’t be Katniss. Even with her braid, bow, and desire for justice.

What flaws does your main character have?

What sin do they struggle with?

What are they bad/unskilled at?

Character flaws are a lot more interesting than character strengths. The most interesting characters are the ones who are nowhere near perfect and don’t always make the right decisions.

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Most main characters don’t follow even half of these tips. But don’t let your main character be one of them!

Characters are the heart and soul of stories. No matter how epic your fight scenes are, or how shocking your twist villain is, if your protagonist fails to capture your reader's interest, the whole story will fall flat.

So what do you think makes a boring character?

Be sure to share your answer in the comments!