Please don’t do that to your readers, each character should want something, even if it is quite simple. Let’s look at a few actionable ways to create effective side characters by giving them all different desires.

So, what does each of your characters want? Do you as the writer know? Would a reader know? Does the character know? Are any of the objectives of characters at odds? Then you can craft a conflict. Do any of the objectives overlap? Then you can create an alliance, even an unlikely one for reader intrigue!

In my article “How do you create a Main Character that people actually like?” I mentioned character desires through an example of a Hero, a Princess and a Dragon. How can the main character and the side characters have an interesting dynamic of wants in that setting?

Consider the following, the Princess is presumably saved… But uh-oh that dragon your hero slayed… Yeah, that was actually her pet! What would be the consequences of that? The hero’s wants and the princesses wants now clash. The hero likely thought he would get glory! Now he is going to be a wanted criminal for hurting the Princesses pet! The princess now has a desire for vengeance, totally subverting reader expectation of a common trope.

By comparing and contrasting character desires I hope you can continue to create side characters that widen the appeal of your story to a broader audience without cheapening your vision! If you have a little more time I would like to introduce you to the side characters of my upcoming Kids Comic “Wabbit”.

I created the character sheets below as a glance of what each character likes and dislikes. You can use even simple prompts about a character to create their wants. For example, if a mom character likes to garden, certainly she would want to see her garden flourish which might lead to a story about bugs wanting to eat her vegetables. Now we have a simple yet relatable narrative emerging.

Similarly if a character dislikes being rushed, then their want would be not to be rushed, well what happens when they are? what is the character made of? Now is the time to show it. If they have a character flaw that comes out of the conflict now you have a character that can have a story arc about growth.

If you would like to see what each character wants in the context of the story, it would be great if you could join the Pre-Launch page on Kickstarter:

Kickstarter Pre-Launch!

TTFN! Ta-Ta For Now,

zngarland.com

Thanks for reading about my Illustration journey! Did you find this helpful? Do you know someone who could benefit from reading this? Feel free to share it.

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That being the case I wanted to share a time lapse of my process of just one page of my upcoming kid’s comic “Wabbit”. The time-lapse boils down hours of work into a video of just over 1 minute! If I could draw that fast I could get a lot more done in a day. Please enjoy:

Warning: Since the time-lapse is fast there may be some flash lights just incase you are sensitive to that.

I hope you enjoyed. If you are the kind of person who loves cozy stories and want to read the rest of the comic, please sign up for the Kickstarter pre-launch below:

Pre-Launch Sign-up

If you would like to see more behind the scenes of the comic making process one of our stretch goals for the project is going to be a pdf that goes into the nitty gritty of my thought process behind making the entire “Wabbit” comic.

TTFN! Ta-Ta For Now,

zngarland.com

On that note I wrote 3 articles in July and wanted to put them in a nice little bundle for you incase one or two slipped your notice.

Before I go I also wanted to give you a heads up that my next project is about to launch on Kickstarter and it would be a huge boost if you could sign up for the Pre-launch! Even if you can’t financially support it, the more people who watch the project helps the odds of the algorithm to catch wind of it. That will allow the comics target audience find it.

Here is a brief overview: Wabbit - Moving & Friendships & Whimsy! My short & sweet comic for kids who have to move homes. If you would like to read his whole adventure, it would mean the world if you could join the Pre-Launch page on Kickstarter here!

TTFN! Ta-Ta For Now,

zngarland.com

To be sure, you can’t please everyone all the time. For example, we may prefer a side character because we identify with them more or they remind us of someone dear to us. But even if that happens to our audience, hopefully we have still developed a main character they can enjoy an adventure with.

Character Development Traps

I would like to go over a few areas that have been done so much in modern media that they seem like the right decision when developing a main character. However in my opinion, these traps start to make me yawn. I would also like to present how I overcame these tropes and some potential thought fodder of what you could do in your character development instead.

Main Character Energy

The trope of a main character who is so self-assured, so self-important, charismatic to a fault. We have heard the expression, we’ve all seen the memes. And yet even though it is so boring in a story we see it crop up time and time again!

From the start this was the easiest trope for me to avoid since I simply do not like this type of character. But even still I find it would be more engaging to create a main character who on the surface may seem more timid but when is put to the test can rise up to the role needed.

Instead of worrying about the characters energy what should you focus on? Well here is what I did. For each of these traps I followed a different bit of brilliant writing advice from Kurt Vonnegut. For this trap the advice I found most helpful is about putting your characters to the test in the narrative.

Since I am making a Kid’s Comic, I didn’t make anything awful happen to my main character Wabbit, yet from a young child’s perspective moving to a new home could be perceived as awful or at least shocking. However the principle is the same, show your audience who your character really is at the core, not just their outward energy only.

Character Flaws

Don’t forget no one is perfect, everyone is born with a crack in their bum; even Mr. Perfect from your romance novel. However some characters are too perfect or too irritating. This can be a big trap which can make or break your main character. For example: Your character may be too perfect if their flaw is something in the wheelhouse of; They can’t help but lay their life on the line for someone in need, even to their own detriment. That might be a plot point but is it really a character flaw or a humble brag?

Or your main character might be too irritating if they exhibit such strong antisocial behaviors that every interaction with them just puts you in a negative head space. There is a thin line difference in a main character being a bit rough around the edges and your character just being the kind of jerk you would never spend 10 minutes with in real life. However you are asking your audience to spend much more time with your main character than anyone else. Possibly other people have mistreated the character in such a way that makes them struggle to connect with others therefore not glorifying antisocial behaviors, but rather stirring your readers so they want to see them overcome the damage of the past and make meaningful connections.

This solution I feel is better because rather than focusing so strongly on character flaws, it shines a light on an aspect of the character that is out of their control that your audience can feel sympathy about. For example this advice is most helpful:

I followed this advice in Wabbit by giving the main character a desire to connect with the new kids in the neighborhood. However the kids misinterpret Wabbit, thinking his behavior is strange. Which spirals out into misunderstandings that rock Wabbit from his usual quiet behavior. He runs away in tears, but now we are given further reason to root for him as he continues to try and connect with others again in the following pages despite previous bad experiences. All of which lead to a satisfying payoff for readers when he finally makes a new friend. A real and relatable experience we have likely all had.

So, again, instead of making your main character perfect, or making them a stick in the mud… Just make them relatable to some aspect of the human experience relevant in your tale.

Character Desires

You’ve heard it a thousand times, the hero has to slay the dragon, save the princess and get the gold. Well in this example what does the hero want? That is where the next trope can come in and do termite like damage to your story that you don’t notice until it may be too late.

When we read this kind of story, it was never about what the writer wanted. You as the writer might want the gold, the girl, or the glory. But frankly your audience doesn’t care. They care about what they want. They want to see themselves in the character. Maybe the hero in the fairytale gets all three of the aforementioned so the audience can get the one they really want, but that is rather bland also isn’t it? Like I said earlier you can’t please everyone all the time, so I don’t think the audience should get everything they want from the main character. The character isn’t a cipher who the reader is living through. The character needs to have his own desire independent of the writer and the reader. The advice is:

Everyone will care about your character if they are compelling enough. For example, what if, the hero has to sacrifice the gold to save the princess. Or possibly the hero loves animals and doesn’t want to hurt the dragon and has to find a different solution for rescue. That is far more compelling reason to see such a familiar story structure through to the end.

In the case of my main character Wabbit, what does he want? He wants to connect with other people but he doesn’t want to be the center of attention. He will have to learn how to balance both of his wants so that he can make new friends. If you would like to read his whole adventure, it would mean the world if you could join the Pre-Launch page on Kickstarter:

Kickstarter Pre-Launch!

In conclusion: What do you want out of your main character? Likely no one cares. What does your audience want out of your main character? You should somewhat care, but not so much that it brings down your story. Most importantly what does the main character want out of the story? Everyone will care if the main character is compelling enough.

I hope this advice was actionable, go out there and write some Main Characters that we can all root for!

TTFN! Ta-Ta For Now,

zngarland.com

Story Overview

Wabbit is a sweet little bunny, but there is a big problem...

Wabbit has moved to a new home! Who will Wabbit play with? Where will Wabbit play?

Wabbit has to adjust to new surroundings and meet new friends. I invite you to go on this short and sweet mosey around his new neighborhood with him.

Product Overview

“Wabbit“ is a 12 page Kids Comic (Recommended ages 5-9) The comic will be printed in full color on durable paper so that is can be loved for many readings.

Do you have a little buddy in your life that could read a light hearted bunny comic? Then please sign up for the pre-launch here! That way you can be the first to know when the campaign launches.

thank ya!

People say all art is created out of need. I created Hedgehog’s Wish for the same reason. I was in a creative rut and this story of a little Hedgehog also in a rut was just the spark I needed to craft something that I could feel happy about. This is my first Children’s Illustrated book.

I feel confident both young and young at heart readers can connect with the emotions behind this tale as well. Will our hedgehog pal get out of his rut by mere wishes or by genuine effort?

What can children learn from this story?

The story is meant to teach children how to become more resilient when things don’t go their way. The hope is that it gently reassures them not to give up quickly when disappointments complicate their lives. This book emphasizes the importance of imagination and curiosity, whether we’re young or old, while also acknowledging that reality has its place and that too much magical thinking can lead to hardship and unrealistic expectations in adulthood. I wrote this story genuinely hoping the words will help anyone who reads it.

The book has already been fully written and illustrated. Hedgehog’s Wish is available now, because of the generous support of my wonderful friend, family & backers on Kickstarter.

Would you like to know how I made the Illustrations, marketed the book or my process for writing the book?

see ya,

P.S. Is there a little one in your life who would enjoy this adventure?

If you would like to purchase my book please visit:

Ingramspark: Buy Hedgehog’s Wish

Amazon: Buy Hedgehog’s Wish

If you would like to schedule a school or library visit, please email me at burrowdays@gmail.com