Because I’m a writer, I think about writing technique and writing components and writing style and writing voice (the subject of my last Rewrite, Reword, Rework writing-tips post). One of the “components” of fiction, of course, is characters.
As I wrote my review yesterday of Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand, I once again thought about characters and what makes readers love them—or at least like them enough to read their entire story.
I suspect characters in novels, like real people, will draw those to them who admire them or connect with them or sympathize with them. Yet occasionally, along comes a truly charismatic person who seems to draw people to him from all walks of life.
A friend of mine is reading a biography of Benjamin Franklin filled with primary sources—letters he wrote and letters he received. It seems good ol’ kite-flying Ben was more than a statesman, more than an inventor. He was a charismatic individual others wanted to be around, whether those “others” were in England or France or back home in America.
So here’s the connection: might there not be characters who draw crowds the same way Ben Franklin did? Or the way, apparently, LeBron James does today?
Same friend asked me what the big deal was with LeBron James that he would merit an hour show to announce where he was going to play basketball. Charisma, I said. Or charm. He has a way of wooing reporters to his side (referees, apparently, too).
Charisma might be different than charm, or maybe that’s just in my mind. But again, the point here is that some characters could foreseeably be the kind that inspire devotion, couldn’t they? I’m not talking about a niche group of devotees, either.
Hans Solo is an example of the kind of character I’m referring to. Or how about Magnum from TV’s Magnum, P. I.
Who in books has that kind of charisma? I think of my favorites and I’d have to say, those stories don’t have charismatic characters. At least not as protagonists.
Aslan is charismatic in the Narnia books. Gandalf, too, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
But Harry Potter? Though he was a nice boy, he wasn’t the driving force, the compelling reason I wanted to keep reading those books.
So how important is a character readers love? I think it might be an important enough question for me to poll you all and see what you think. Thanks in advance for your participation. 
Feel free to leave comments as well. The more I hear what others think, the more I learn about crafting characters.
Huh! I never really thought about this before. I’ve read plenty of books that didn’t have a charismatic character at their center–and liked them pretty well–but you know, my favorite books invariably do have a central, charismatic character.
“Mad Miles” Vorkosigan, for one (Lois McMaster Bujold’s main character in her Vorkosigan novels)
Eugenides the thief, for another (Megan Whalen Turner’s main character in her YA novels).
Bryan Polivka’s main character in his pirate novels whose name is sadly escaping me at the moment, is another. Or at least, he’s very memorable.
Even some of Jane Austen’s characters were clearly charismatic, or at least, charming. Like Elizabeth.
I think it’s absolutely necessary to have someone with charisma in your story. At least one, if not more.
Joe Abercrombie has the best villain I’ve ever read; Glotka. He’s evil, he’s twisted, tragic, in pain most of the time and a writer’s dream. He may not be likeable but Glotka is full of charisma.
I’m not sure about charisma, but I’m definitely one of those that needs to connect to at least one of the characters. I have found this to be true of both books and TV. If I don’t connect, I find myself putting down the book and wandering away, sometimes never to come back.
Charisma is a term which can be used for both the protagonist or the antagonist in the classic sense. Many of both ooze it.
When the protagonist has charisma–which can like everything else be subjective–it’s a treat, but often antiheroes can be just as effective to more readers if they’re not too prickly and at least occasionally demonstrate some “charm”. There’s nothing worse than a protagonist with no intrinsic appeal. Those are the novels I want to put down but trudge to the end to see if their redemption draweth nigh. I admit by then I usually don’t care.
Ooooohh, thanks so much for the feedback! I love reading these comments.
I hadn’t thought about the charisma of an antagonist. Interesting thought.
Ironically, “charm” is one of the traits that mark a villain in my way of thinking. I see that quality as disingenuous and manipulative. I don’t trust charmers and consequently am not drawn to them. But it’s good for me to remember that many are.
Becky
Sigh. I can’t vote.
Edward Cullen has the charisma of a pea.
More seriously, I’m not sure on the definition of ‘charisma.’ To be sure, yes, if I can’t find something intriguing about at least one character, it’s frustrating. But I don’t necessarily think of a character as ‘charming’ in order to sympathize with them. On the flipside, I might find a character amazingly charismatic (or, at least, a very strong, 3-dimensional character whom I understand), but utterly unsympathetic toward him.
For example, Anne Boelyn in The Other Boelyn Girl certainly carried a dominating presence, as did Henry, but I wouldn’t call either sympathetic (the writers admirably tried).
Oh, I just found this part:
Charisma might be different than charm, or maybe that’s just in my mind. But again, the point here is that some characters could foreseeably be the kind that inspire devotion, couldn’t they? I’m not talking about a niche group of devotees, either.
But yeah.
Polivka’s MC is escaping me. His girlfriend’s name is Panna; and his name is also a P. It was Talon who had my vote, though.
Packer. His name is Packer.
When I think of charisma I think George Clooney. He’s got it all, brains, beauty, wit, style… something for everyone. Even men love him. I write charismatic characters – usually the hero – but many of my favorite stories I’ve read are built around average folks, who through circumstances – some unusual, but not always – come to find something more in themselves. They’re not about others being drawn to them as much as discovering their own personal development. That’s not to say I wouldn’t like to see George on every page. SIGH…George.
I don’t care if a character is charismatic, but there must be something I can like and admire in a main character. It could be an ordinary person who has the strength to survive trying times, or someone who cares about others or has a passion to follow God. There must be something special about the person, but it needn’t be charismatic; it may just be an ordinary type of special.
I don’t know that I can answer your poll by selecting one of the options you provide in the poll because none of them seem to fit.
For me, it’s more about the story than the characters. Average, everyday characters facing extraordinary circumstances is enough for me. I can learn to care about the characters if the story is compelling enough. It does help to like them a little bit, but that isn’t even always necessary.
The deeper difficulty for me, though, is the definition of charismatic. You cited LeBron James. LeBron James is a media event. I don’t particularly think of him as charismatic and were it not for the fact that he made a big decision based on finances, I would never have heard of him.
Synonyms for charismatic range from alluring to compelling to enigmatic. That’s a lot of range.
I don’t put a lot of weight on charisma because it can so easily cover up a world of flaws, bad news and worse. All bling, no substance.
I also tend to run the opposite direction everybody else does on principle. If everyone is flocking around something or someone, I tend to look askance at it, wonder what’s going on and so on. The biggest exception to that is if the attraction happens to be in a field I know something about. The current raging debate about which Thoroughbred filly is best – Rachel Alexandra or Zenyatta. I know something about that, so the hype doesn’t make me suspicious. Makes me wonder at the number of people who don’t have anything better to do, but that’s a different story entirely.
The short answer for me is overwhelming circumstances and compelling story happening to real people who may or may not have charm, allure, appeal or be shrouded in enignma.
I’m in the 38%.
Thanks for making me think about this!
I have often liked a new TV show and then gone back to watch older things the actor had done. I have come to a new show based on the premise, but if I stayed, it usually had to do with a particular character (perhaps charismatic?) – and if it didn’t have one, I probably didn’t hang with the show for long.
I have actually tried new shows and left because I just couldn’t find anyone in the cast to whom I really felt that attraction. (Best example was how hard I tried to like “Cold Case” because I loved the premise; I really didn’t like the main character.)
With books, I tend to read a lot by the same author. I always thought it was because I liked their style, but really, now that I think on it more, they had a way of creating a character that interested me for more than one book. Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt is a prime example; I rarely read one of Cussler’s other character series…I like Dirk Pitt. I’ve read a lot of Anne McCaffrey’s dragon books, but I liked the ones with certain “original cast” best. And I’ve liked certain of her series (Crystal Singer & The Rowan especially) more than others I didn’t follow much – because the main character was so compelling.
I happened on to a show called “Stargate SG-1″ in syndication Saturday afternoons (when sports didn’t pre-empt) and watched because I saw Richard Dean Anderson from MacGyver. I came to find another character equally (or even more) appealing – Sam Carter played by Amanda Tapping – but others I know found another character – Daniel Jackson played by Michael Shanks – more appealing. So I guess a show can have more than one character that appeals to different people; perhaps books can as well.
How to determine when general “charm” becomes something more…”charisma”…not sure how to measure that.
@Jill, Daniel was my favorite character in SG-1, even though one of my all-time heroes Kurt Russell was in it. I couldn’t like him because I couldn’t trust him. I just learned to play guitar following John Denver, and Daniel seemed like a John Denver clone thrown into a translater role…
@Rebecca, KM Weiland had an interesting article on making characters come alive – setting a very likeable, dimensional protagonist with a compelling stake/goal, against a believeable, 3-dimensional antagonist that is just as charismatic, perhaps MORE powerful, and with just as much at stake, from the other side.
When the two clash, it’s magic…
[...] @ 4:09 pm Tags: faith, God, Ted Dekker, Trust First, I’d love to have more feedback on the Charismatic Characters poll. If you haven’t participated yet, please take a moment to let your opinion [...]
Wonderful discussion. You all are so thoughtful and that helps me. It’s great to know why you feel as you do. Love the input!
Becky