Most stories are either plot driven or character driven. In my opinion, the success of Mad Men is because viewers love the characters. The writers have done a brilliant job of creating many interesting, complex, and deep characterizations. The casting is also well done. People tune in not just to see what happens next, but to find out what happens to the characters we identify with and care about.
Over water coolers and in restaurants people talk about what these characters wear, what they say, and how they act. We speculate on what they may do next. We feel we know them that well. The reason is amazing writing.
Writers know that making a character come alive for readers is an important skill. If the characters are dull and boring, who wants to read the book even if there is a plot. If you give your character interesting quirks we are drawn to them and remember them. If we know enough about them to understand why they do certain things, it makes us closer to that character.
How can we not love Joanie? She is so sexy and adventurous, but she is also so sweet and nurturing. Or, how about that charming silver fox Roger, who we like, despite the fact he drinks, smokes, and gets around too much. Then there is Pete Campbell who is whiny and never thinks he gets enough attention, but he is a hard worker and a good man at heart. Even when he cheated on his wife, he couldn’t help but tell her.And let’s not forget Megan who just enriched her character with “Zou Bisou Bisou.”
These are complex characters who seem real because we all have a better and worse side. Even a bad guy probably has something decent he’s done at some point. To make a character more interesting and easier to relate to they need to be rounded.
If you write, take some time and look at your characters carefully. See how you can deepen their personality, make them more interesting and memorable. It will make for a much better story.
