Avoiding stereotypical characters

Avoiding Stereotypical Characters


A stereotype is often referred to as a "stock character". You may or may not be aware that you have written a stereotypical character. Stereotypes may appear in issues of race, gender, sexuality, class, even a character’s occupation or interests. The tomboy, the dumb blonde, the band geek, the ugly nerd, the religious prude - you get the picture. These are simply shortcuts for true character development. You see, stereotypes are predictable, and readers would rather connect to a character that seems more real, flaws and all. To really draw readers to the characters they love, being relatable is the one thing that brings them back time and time again. Avoid shallow, one-dimensional characters by creating real, complex, flawed, yet still fascinating characters. One thing that makes it interesting is to think of the character as a person first and their gender second.

Example:

Say a character has blonde hair and is obsessed with buying expensive shoes. This seems like ‘the shallow blonde’ stereotype.

*Bullet* How could you revise the character to make them more realistic?

Right off the top of my head, you could make the character male which would be a switch but that isn't really enough is it? How about if the character collects something other than shoes. What hobby might be surprising and also tell us something about their character? A recent book I read had the lead female character's profession as a pet photographer. That little detail was quirky and helped bring a lot of cute moments with the animals into the romantic mystery. Sometimes the small details really do a lot of good.

Many have said (and it's true) - It helps to create characters by drawing on real life. If you're looking for realistic details, go to a café, a supermarket, a book store - anywhere and people watch for an hour or so to get ideas. Take notes, no matter where you are. You never know when you'll see an idea that you don't want to forget.

Before someone mentions it, in rare circumstances, some plots work with stereotypes, such as the movie script for The Breakfast Club. Remember though, that was specifically about focusing on stereotypes and used that as a basis to tell their stories. The jock, the princess, the criminal, the brain ... some would say we all knew these characters in high school, so that's actually what makes this movie so easy for so many to relate to. In the end, it was about breaking stereotypes and how we all have bits and pieces that make ourselves unique, no matter what people think at first glance. All the characters had another detail that made them special and much more than a one-dimensional person.

I hope this sparks some new ideas about characters for you.