How To Write Charming Characters
With both positive and negative aspects to their personalities, charming characters can be difficult to write convincingly.
Whether you’re writing a romantic love interest or a compelling con man, here are some examples for giving your charming characters depth.
How do they behave?
- Attentive listeners: they pay close attention to people around them
- Take pride in their appearance
- Are happy to share personal space
- Speak with a strong voice and an energetic tone
- Are often hospitable and give off an air of welcome
- Always give the impression that they are happy to see you
- Demonstrate empathy
How do they interact?
- Have a firm handshake and make strong eye contact
- Are often encouraging
- Compliment freely
- Use humour to create a fun atmosphere
- Communicate physically (through touch and gesture)
- Make a point of using a person’s name
- Initiate conversations
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Describe their body language
- Have a relaxed stance with a straight and confident posture
- Inclusive and attentive
- Mirroring: they will mirror the body language of the person they are interacting with
- Will lean forward to show attention
- Lightly touch to create connection
- A slight head tilt to show interest
- Rarely cross their arms or legs
- Maintain eye contact
Describe their attitude
- Carefree
- Good sense of humour
- Friendly and playful
- Self-aware
- Opinionated and confident
- Exhude an impression of honesty
- Good intuition
- Highly social
- Polite and respectful
- Eager to please
- Potentially manipulative
The positive aspects of charm
Charming characters put people at ease, praise them freely, and boost their confidence. They make friends easily, talk their way to favourable resolutions, and are often the centre of attention.
They have impeccable grooming, conveying trustworthiness and concern for others, leading to a sense that they have your best interests at heart.
The negative aspects of charm
A charming character can manipulate others for personal gain. They can be overbearing, exerting their will on less confident individuals.
Their charm often draws focus, making others feel inferior, making them perfect for a protagonist to exhibit personal growth, or for a villain that a reader will fall in love with.