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Different Types
of Characters in a Novel & Character Personalities
Character
development is important for the reader to feel invest in the book
and the fictional characters' story. For your book to have depth,
not only does the plot have to be sound, but the characters in your
novel have to
be believable.
Characters in good
novel writing have different personalities. Let's take a look at
different types of characters in a novel.
Character
Building: Develop Good Characters with Great Personalities
 Miser:
A character who is always in a bad mood, is rude, and has a stash of
money hidden. Usually the miser gives the main character is a hard
time. Many times the miser ends up being not as bad as the
protagonist thought.
Hero:
A character who is brave and puts him or herself in harms way to
protect the protagonist. The hero doesn't always have to demonstrate
physical prowess. A hero comes in many forms.
Naive:
These are often lovable characters who readers fall in love with.
For example, Lennie in Of Mice and Men .
Bully:
This is usually one of the antagonists in the story who creates
conflict for the main character. Bullies usually have their own
personal issues to overcome. For example, their family life is
probably not stellar and they have low self-esteem. Depending on the
writers intent, the reader may feel a kinship with the bully.
And other times will feel nothing but contempt. For example, Bob
Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird . Ewell represents everything that is
wrong humanity.
Perfectionist:
This character has a retentive personality who is either afraid of
winning or losing. They need to everything in its place so they can
feel in control.
Racist:
We've all read books with characters who are racist or at least
prejudice against other races. Some racists are obvious. Bob Ewell
from To Kill a Mockingbird, for example. On the flipside, a
character may have prejudicial and racist thoughts without malintent.
For example, in the book Ellen Foster, the main character Ellen,
makes comments about her black friend, Starletta, that are
prejudicial. In one scene Ellen prefers not to sleep in a
"black persons" bed. Overtime, Ellen begins to understand
that there isn't a difference between races.
There are many
different types of characters in your novel. The key is to know
which fictional characters complement the story you are telling.
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