Help on writing charismatic characters?

KiwiChick · Nov 28, 2006

I think charisma is something that's pretty hard to pin down in real life. I don't think you can ever say "X is charismatic because he does/acts like Y".

For me, portraying a character as charismatic is even harder. I have one character in my WIP who is supposed to be a very charismatic leader, but who I think curently comes across as pretty ordinary. He is only a minor character, and not someone the MC knows well, but it's important that he has that spark.

This is probably a hard question to answer because it's general, but can anyone give me any tips on writing charisma?

KiwiChick

Bubastes · Nov 28, 2006

Hm, just off the top of my head, is there any way to show how the charismatic character interacts with others? That may be a way to illustrate how he can charm everyone he meets....

Scarlett_156 · Nov 28, 2006

I try to make up a history for that particular character-- I outline his or her life like it's a separate story. At some point something will happen and empathy will develop. Once that link is there, then it's much easier for the charisma part of it to happen. This is true of characters that I like as well as dislike. Charismatic villains can be awfully fun to write about.

alleycat · Nov 28, 2006

You might think about some of the charismatic leaders of history (John F. Kennedy, Gandhi, Martin Luther King) and consider what their actions and demeanor would be in a situation similar to your character's current situation. For example, imagine what a modern-day John F. Kennedy would be like in the character's place. It would be a start.

BruceJ · Nov 28, 2006

Through others

I was thinking along the same lines as Meow. The character's charisma could be shown in reflection of how others react to him/her. Clipped dialog with the character achieving his/her goal with a measured minimum of words may instill the feeling, too. This would require a dose of wit and a couple beats where abbreviated actions by the character complement the effect and the outcome.

inanna · Nov 28, 2006

There are a lot of different ways to approach this. One method I would be inclined to use is description of motion and gestures. Not long passages of description, just those little telling gestures you can slip into dialogue tags and such that will illustrate someone who warrants attention and is in control. Make the way they move through space and communicate be compelling to both the other characters and the reader.

badducky · Nov 28, 2006

Picture someone in your life that you know extremely well (brother, mother, lover, etc.) who has lots of charisma, and try to imagine what that person would do in that situation, and how people would react to him/her.

Also, practice "being" that character in front of a mirror. Just like an actor would.

KiwiChick · Nov 28, 2006

Great suggestions so far, guys. I've got a lot to think about.

KiwiChick

Zolah · Nov 28, 2006

I think you have to really love and admire the character yourself. The one time when I created a character with charisma that jumped off the page (and I know the effect was real because my editor complimented me on it, a comment that I treasure), it didn't happen on purpose. I just needed a character to do a certain job, and it's one of my little pleasures to allow myself to improvise with minor characters - so I made this character as interesting to me as possible, and the more I wrote, the more he delighted me, until his whole character become pivotal to the climax of the book. He just added something wonderful to every scene he was in, and I wished more than anything I'd thought of him earlier so I could have written more about him (I had to strongly resist the desire to go back and put him in earlier - he wanted to take over). So even if this character is actually an antagonist, you need to make him or her someone you can really admire, someone with traits and talents you'd like to have yourself (even if they use them for twisted reasons) and a personality you'd like to explore. Hopefully then your feelings with make that character shine.

aghast · Nov 28, 2006

you cant 'make' your character charismatic, he has to be charismatic and you as the writer has the task of conveying that to the readers, so your firstr quetion should be is your character charismatic, if not you have the wrong character or you are trying to make your character something hes not, otherwise your next question is what you can do to make his charisma jump off the page

sarahcypher · Nov 28, 2006

You might try introducing him while he's offstage by creating a buzz among your other characters. Is there a minor plot issue that he can resolve? E.g., while writing this "buzz," a few characters can engage in some Chaucerian one-upsmanship -- each one claiming that your charismatic character did him the bigger favor.

When your character finally walks onstage, we're already primed to see him as a powerful, popular figure.

Stew21 · Nov 28, 2006

I have a very charismatic character. I portray him that way by explaining how others react to him.
this is mostly accomplished by how people's mannerisms change in his presence.

John61480 · Nov 28, 2006

Well, a good idea for making a charismatic character would be to give him or her the best talking points for dialogue. It will stand out and it can be anything from sassy, serious or even mundane. Just remember, the character may not be noticeable to everyone, but the people who do notice are taken aback by something. Try to aim that something at what the person says and does, not how people think about him or her. That wouldn't quite convince me of charisma -- it might be akin to thinking "Gee, that person is charismatic." In my opinion, it is better to make them the life of the situation, not party.

NeuroFizz · Nov 28, 2006

I think Trish has it. Charisma isn't necessarily something a person exudes. It's how others see him or her, so how others react to what he/she does or says is one way to portray it. Also, how this person reacts to little events that come up will help, but not in themselves. It's probably necessary to have others react to how he/she reacts, if you know what I mean.

As for things that relate directly to the charismatic person, have him/her react to immediate events with a distant vision of its impact, not one that is a direct response. This is the visionary aspect. The person will have to be inspirational, but this can be real of imagined, shown by the reactions of others (and your POV character's views of these reactions). The person will have an ego, and may be intolerant of others who don't share his/her views. This person is probably going to be somewhat aggressive. But again, this can all come out through interactions with others in the scene. All of these traits can be made positive or negative with a little spin.

aghast · Nov 28, 2006

idont quite agree - charisma isnt really jhust how people react to you because if thats the case then anyone could 'manufacture' charisma, even paris hilton, by having people react to them certain ways but it doesnt work that way - if you do that it will be manufactured and your readers will catch on because they wont react the same way to the character as your other characters do - it will feel fake to them - if you write 'they swoon as he speaks' it wouldnt feel right unless the readers also swoon as the character speak so it has to come from the character himself in personality, action and dialog - then your other characters reaction to that character would be a good way of agreeing with the readers that yeah he is very charismatic

AdamH · Nov 28, 2006

Charisma comes from having such passion in doing...well, anything...that it draws everyone watching you in. That could be speaking, writing, acting, dancing, playing basketball, basket weaving, colouring in a colouring book, anything, and everything. Passion and focus equals charisma. Then add to that a smidge of extrovert...and presto! You have Tom Cruise before he went looney on Oprah.

Akuma · Nov 28, 2006

Gestures and the way he/she speaks.

Oddsocks · Nov 28, 2006

That's a really interesting question. I have one character who strikes me as charismatic, but that wasn't something I really planned, so I don't know why he seems that way, and I don't know if he'll strike other people that way as well. For making someone charismatic intentionally, all I can suggest is finding some charismatic characters in other novels and analysing what it is that makes them seem that way.

CrankItTo11 · Nov 28, 2006

To echo much of what has already been said, a charasmatic character is best defined by how others respond to him or her. He always gets his way... and he knows he will. People are drawn to him. You could always introduce a character that isn't charmed instantly, and it trouble and confuses him...

NeuroFizz · Nov 28, 2006

aghast said:
idont quite agree - charisma isnt really jhust how people react to you because if thats the case then anyone could 'manufacture' charisma, even paris hilton, by having people react to them certain ways but it doesnt work that way - if you do that it will be manufactured and your readers will catch on because they wont react the same way to the character as your other characters do - it will feel fake to them - if you write 'they swoon as he speaks' it wouldnt feel right unless the readers also swoon as the character speak so it has to come from the character himself in personality, action and dialog - then your other characters reaction to that character would be a good way of agreeing with the readers that yeah he is very charismatic

But, we're not talking about what charisma is, we're talking about the best way to show it in fictional prose. If you want to just tell it, you can do it in a vacuum (with the appropriate character by him/herself). To show charisma, the suggestion is to involve other characters in a way the reader gets a sense of that charisma through the interplay between the subject and those who view him/her as charismatic.

aghast · Nov 28, 2006

if your character himself lacks charisma theres nothing you can do to 'show it' like i said it would be fake - otherwise we have covered the basis - action, dialog, body language and how other characters react to such

Etola · Nov 28, 2006

Maddwriter said:
Charisma comes from having such passion in doing...well, anything...that it draws everyone watching you in. That could be speaking, writing, acting, dancing, playing basketball, basket weaving, colouring in a colouring book, anything, and everything. Passion and focus equals charisma. Then add to that a smidge of extrovert...and presto! You have Tom Cruise before he went looney on Oprah.

Hmm...that might be a good point

Thinking back on all the characters I've thought of as 'charismatic,' they're all really driven or moved by or passionate about *something.* Whether they express it in grand gestures and grandiose speeches or in quiet and steadfast effort, it's something that other people sense and can be drawn in by.

zornhau · Nov 29, 2006

Some of charisma is a skill, whether learned and exercised consciously or not. Read "The 48 Laws of Power"

James D. Macdonald · Nov 29, 2006

KiwiChick said:
This is probably a hard question to answer because it's general, but can anyone give me any tips on writing charisma?

Show people's reactions to him/her.

aruna · Nov 29, 2006

It's good for a writer to pretend to be an actor in such cases. Try to get inside the chaarcter's skin. BE the character. FEEL the power. Then write!

Help on writing charismatic characters?

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