That’s the real magic of storytelling. Readers don’t get hooked by clever plotting alone—they’re drawn to characters who feel like flesh and blood. A gripping story is important, but it’s unforgettable characters that keep people turning pages and thinking about your book long after it’s over.
Here are some lessons I’ve learned after years of writing thrillers and revising draft after draft.
1. Balance Strengths with Wounds
A believable character isn’t all brilliance or all brokenness—they’re both. What sticks with readers is the contrast between what someone does best and what threatens to unravel them.
- Strengths: quick thinking, resilience, deep empathy.
- Wounds: past mistakes, hidden guilt, insecurity that never fades.
It’s this mix of capability and vulnerability that creates empathy. Petra, for instance, may be highly skilled, but she also wrestles with identity and belonging.
2. Root Them in Desire
Every character should want something, not just in terms of plot but deep within themselves. Maybe it’s love, respect, redemption, or safety. That longing guides their actions and decisions.
Even better? When their external goal clashes with their internal need. That tension fuels powerful arcs. Ask yourself: If nothing else stood in their way, what would my character still yearn for?
3. Allow Them to Falter
Perfect heroes are forgettable. Readers connect more with characters who take risks, make the wrong call, and face consequences.
A bad decision doesn’t make them weak—it makes them human. Mistakes open the door to growth, conflict, and emotional depth.
4. Reveal the Inner Landscape
Characters come alive when readers glimpse their private thoughts, fears, and unspoken hopes. This doesn’t have to be heavy-handed. Small cues—an avoided glance, an unfinished sentence, a nervous habit—can reveal more than pages of explanation.
Those little cracks of humanity transform a name on the page into someone who feels real.
5. Show Them Through Relationships
Nobody exists in isolation. How your character interacts with others—whether through love, rivalry, forgiveness, or betrayal—reveals who they are at their core.
The cold agent that softens when holding a child. The antagonist who regrets their choices. These moments of connection make readers feel invested.
6. Keep Them Believable Yet Unpredictable
A well-written character should surprise readers while still staying true to their core. If their actions grow out of established values, scars, and desires, even a shocking twist will feel earned.
Closing Thoughts
What lingers in a reader’s mind isn’t a perfectly outlined plot—it’s the people who carried them through it. Readers remember the joy, the heartbreak, the inspiration, and the sense of recognition they felt through a character.
So don’t write cardboard cutouts. Write people. Give them strengths and scars, longings and failures. Let them falter, grow, and surprise even you as their creator. Because if you care about them deeply, chances are your readers will too.