There are many types of men in this world. Some are comfortable crying in front of you, and some may feel the need to own a big truck and be the grill king at every party. My personal favorite is the man who is soft enough to paint your nails, yet will still protect you from the things that go boom in the night. So, what type of man is your character? And does he fit with your story?
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The Basic Types of Male characters
Men can come in many different shapes, sizes, and personalities, but to make things a little simpler, here are some basic types of male characters that you may be able to use to better define your character.
- The Pure: This is the man who always sees the good in everyone, who would rather stay home and read a book than go to a party, and the one that is most likely to get severely stuck in the friend zone.
- The Soldier: War beaten and betrayed, this character rarely ever trusts anyone but once trust is gained, he can be the loyalest character in the series. Not to mention his skills and his experience also make him one of the most useful characters.
- The Genius: He’s a genius, and he knows it. He’s quiet, but if you ever get him passionate about something he’ll never shut up. This is the character with all of the answers and logically thought out plans. But if he’s at a loss, most likely you’ll be killed or captured in the next few seconds.
- The Dork: This is the lovable guy that smiles and laughs as he runs for his life. “Hey look at it this way, if we could actually cook they would have made us stay.”
- The Comic Relief: This character is mostly around for laughs and, on a deeper level, to keep people sane. This character can often times get confused with the dork, however the dork has a better chance of ending up with a romantic partner in the end.
- The Flirt: This one can get you into any party. He has a certain “way” about him. But don’t be fooled, this one’s a heart breaker. Along with his smoothness, this character also has a tendency to miss details right in front of his face.
Determining Which Type of Man Your Character is
Now that you have a basic list of go to male characters, how do you know which one your character is? Or, if you have multiple male characters, how do you know which one is best for your story?
One of the best ways to create a real character, and one that your readers can fall in love with, is to get to know them. Now I don’t mean just writing down what they look like. I mean interviewing them in your head. Ask them the deep questions, the scary questions, the funny questions. Anything you can think of that you want to know, or that you would ask someone when you first met them. Here are some of my favorite things to ask my characters to get to know them better.
What are Characters Fears?
An important part of figuring out who your character is, is knowing their fears. In real life, people are more of then than not defined by their fears. What their fears are and how they react when they need to face them is a central part of who they are.
So ask your character if they like spiders. See if they have qualms with crawling through a small dark tunnel. And be creative with the fears they have. We all know of the basic fears like a fear of bugs or fear of needles, why not give them a fear of oranges or boats? If your character has a specific fear that can be linked to their backstory, you’ve got yourself a great starting character.
Now, if they were to face this fear, how would they react? Would they scream and run? How about punch the scary thing as a knee jerk reaction? How he reacts to this fear can portray him as a calm and controlled person, or someone who is prone to fits of anger.
What are Your Characters’ Opinions?
Your characters opinions are another great way to determine exactly who they are. But specifically, for a male character, think about the choices or stereotypes men are faced with. Then determine their opinions on these topics.
For example, men often times are chosen to be the breadwinners in society. How does your man feel about this? Does he reject this societal ideal, or is he more than happy to be a provider? Does this man wish to be more of a free spirit or is he perfectly happy in conformity? I suppose this could also boil down to is he a compliant citizen or a rebel.
What Would he do?
Going along with what choices he would make, we can also think about the specific actions he would use to follow up his opinion or reach his goal. Does he follow more of a shoot first ask questions later style? Or does it take a day or two for him to complete a detailed plan with every step mapped out?
Other questions to ask would be, would they be the first to take action in a situation? Would they be willing to listen to others for suggestions? If they failed, would they stay down, stand up, or wait for another day to rise again? Would they attempt to win the same way, or would they try a new approach?
That’s it!
All in all, it’s important to remember that your character, is YOUR character. The examples of types of men I mentioned earlier are there to help you better understand and write your male character. It is not there so you can create a carbon copy character. Put your own spin on things. It’s your character, your story, you cannot go wrong following your gut.
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