How to Make Your Characters Memorable

You’ve been working hard to develop your character but still he/she is a bit bland. If he/she walked into a room heads would turn and all eyes would be on your character. BUT as soon as this person leaves the room, everyone forgets he/she
was ever there. That’s fine for a spy novel. But what if the reader forgets your character as soon as they begin the next chapter? You want the reader to remember your character (especially if it’s the main character). What can you do to make your character more memorable? Three things. Give your character an unusual name, give him/her a quirky flaw, and/or an interesting back story. 

Perfect characters cannot only be unbelievable, but can render them forgettable. An unusual name and a flaw nestled in among all of that perfection, coupled with an unusual backstory, and your reader will find him/her relatable, even to a small degree, and this will make the character memorable.

Also, the flaw cannot just be a prop, or one off. It needs to be germane to the story. It should contribute to the plot and keep the story moving.

Example: Indiana Jones is the quintessential courageous rough and rugged, relic hunting adventurer. He can guess the golden idol's weight just by looking at it, and adjust the amount of sand needed to replace it. He slips past booby traps with ease. While escaping his arch nemesis in a biplane he meets Reggie the pet Boa Constrictor. This is when we learn he has a deep rooted fear of snakes. Later in the story Indy must overcome his fear in order to escape with the Ark of the Covenant.

If his name was John Jones and he had no quirky flaw he would still be memorable, for a time. But Indiana (“the dog's name was Indiana”) Jones has lived on for decades.

Sherlock Holmes is one of the greatest detectives of all times, with a supreme power of deduction, rivaled only by his brother Mycroft Holmes. But the beloved detective has one flaw, he’s addicted to cocaine (rumor has it that Arthur Conan Doyle was also addicted to cocaine), which he used in times of contemplation of a difficult case.  

Avoid the pitfalls of a common name, give your character a flaw (or two) with an interesting backstory, just be sure they compliment each other and the story.

    Even Superman had his Kryptonite.