Iconic Characters: Made Not Born
By Donald Maass | August 2, 2023 |
They seem like lucky accidents. Strikes of lightning. Once-in-a-career blessings. Or maybe they are unique products of their time, characters only possible in a particular era. Or maybe they spring from the unique makeup of an author. They must be a product of genius, obsession or an impossible to duplicate upbringing–right?
Or perhaps they can be recognized only after the passage of time, maturing in bottle-like literary Bordeaux wine. Whatever the case, iconic characters feel like they are somehow reserved for the elect, the ones with the VIP pass. They certainly are not conferred upon workaday scribes unless such scribes have a lucky night at the keyboard or live long enough for their creations to be rediscovered.
Iconic characters are born not made, that’s how it appears. Jo March. Sherlock Holmes. Peter Pan. Dorothy Gale. Jay Gatsby. Scarlet O’Hara. Mrs. de Winter. Phillip Marlowe. Holden Caufield. Tom Ripley. George Smiley. Atticus Finch. Holly Golightly. Carey White. Katniss Everdeen. Lisbeth Salander. To name a few. We should all be so lucky.
Except.
It’s not luck. Think about it. Once upon a time, those iconic characters were no different than the glimmer in your own imagination at the outset of a project. At first, they were nothing more than keystrokes. They had to be brought alive. They were not always universal. They were chess pieces in a story. Characters with a function. Their authors made certain choices, though, which made those characters ones whom we recognize even now; who resonate with us decades and even centuries later.
Choices. Choices which are available to every author. To you.
Iconic characters are made not born. But how? What are the elements that make iconic characters the ones that last? Let’s take a look.
Iconic Characters versus Archetypes
When we speak of enduring characters, we tend to revert to discussion of archetypes. That’s natural enough, and for sure archetypes have a durable utility. They are templates for character: mythic, pop culture or personality types from whom we can borrow or adapt certain qualities that trigger recognition in readers. That recognition value is a primary reason that we can relate to fictional people and why retellings, for instance, have such appeal.
There are many ways to sort and classify archetypes. Mythology. Fairy Tales. History. Comics and cartoons. Jungian. Meyers-Briggs. Biblical. Literary. Cinematic. Televisual. Heck, everything I needed to know about characterization I learned from Dr. Suess. Or Gilligan’s Island. It doesn’t sound ridiculous to say things like that, does it? You can make a case.
Angel. Prophet. Dreamer. Warrior. Fool. Trickster. Prisoner. Dark Lord. Black Widow. Orphan. Wanderer. Guardian. Girl Next Door. Bad Boy. Nice Guy. Good Citizen. Fugitive. Nurse. Rogue. Lion. Mouse. Fallen Hero. False Socialite. We could go on. But wait, what about archetypal pairings? Romeo-Juliet? Nick-Nora? Kirk-Spock? Brangelina? There’s a nearly infinite number of types to draw from and reference books, websites and card decks to help you locate and select them.
Here’s the thing, though: Not every archetype fits a character, and not every character is a derivative of an archetype. Some characters are just characters. Some are drawn from life, others defy classification, and still others are wholly modern people who don’t neatly match Campbell archetypes. Some are twists on archetypes called ectypes. Who knows?
Emo Girl. PTSD Veteran. Urban Lost Boy. Surfer Dude. Bitcoin Huckster. Nerd-to-the-Rescue. Social Warrior. Crystal Healer. Wheelchair Olympian. Tik-Tok Influencer. There also are types which are unique in history. The “New Woman” (1900’s). Rosie the Riveter. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. Jet Setter. Have-It-All-Mom. Gen X-Y-Z. What application do archetypes have to people who are either new or who are no more?
If a character of yours doesn’t have an archetype to borrow from, what are you supposed to do? Is there any chance—other than random chance—for you to devise an iconic character? Archetypes aren’t always the solution but they do point us to certain qualities that are both strong and available even if an existing archetype doesn’t entirely fit the bill.
Iconic Foundations
Primary attributes of icon characters are that they are 1) representative, 2) heightened, 3) active and 4) instructive.
There are lots of other things we could say about iconic characters. Heroic. Larger-than-life. Memorable. But those are conclusions we reach about them, not the building blocks used to make them. The same limitation is true of human values that we think of as “good” or “bad”, they are useful intentions for character construction but they are more descriptors than prescriptions for action.
(That said, it’s worth knowing whether you are working with a hero or an anti-hero. One can be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring, dutiful and show leadership. The other is likely to be independent, driven, self-interested, possibly burdened, and likely an outsider. As we’ve learned from modern literature, anti-heroes can be as compelling as heroes. We can also relate to characters who are unreliable, criminal, suffering, victims or “others”—though there are tricks to that, a topic for another post.)
“Representative” means that an iconic character exhibits behavior and an inner life that we can recognize as real and human. “Heightened” means that those same behaviors are elevated, exaggerated, singular and unique. Simply put, iconic characters aren’t ordinary. BTW, that goes also for “ordinary” everyman and everywoman types. Everyman and Everywoman may have humble profiles but their journeys are not routine or small.
Active means that iconic characters aren’t just figures on wall posters, they act and speak. They may also observe, opine, ponder, question, wonder and in other ways present us a vivid inner life. Conversely, they may be opaque either at times or wholly…though pure “showing” with no “telling” is a trick of high suggestion that isn’t easy to master nor necessarily more artful in execution. Regardless, one way or another, iconic characters are in motion.
“Instructive” might sound at first sound like “didactic”, as in morality or cautionary tales. That’s not what I mean. What instructive means is by example. Iconic characters follow a path on a journey to some kind of destination, to accomplish something, having some variety of challenges and adventures along the way, rising at the end not just to succeed but to transcend themselves, thereby showing us how to we too can make the journey.
Done well, we don’t feel we’re being taught a lesson. Rather, we feel that we have shared an experience. Indeed, what some argue is the first novel written in English, The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, is certainly pointed—it’s an allegory—but it’s not a sermon. It’s a journey and adventure.
Iconic characters not only figure in stories, they figure in stories which have a point. However entertaining, they show us something we need to see. In that sense, they are instructive.
Iconic Practicalities
So, let’s get down to it. If iconic characters are made, how can you make one? First of all, own that you can. Or, if you can’t, imagine what a VIP author would do with your character. A VIP author will not feel fear, worry or be constrained. A VIP author will not care about or anticipate what critics will say, but will courageously push characters to the limit.
Choose a character, perhaps your protagonist. Here are some questions and prompts:
What is this character’s most fundamental human attribute? Isolate it. Put it at the center of this character’s identity, the core of his/her/their consciousness. It’s not just something about this character, it’s entirely who this character is.
What is this character’s greatest fear? Make it the only fear. It’s not just a challenge, lack or flaw but a mountain to climb—and one impossible to climb. Who else knows this? Who warns this character of his/her/they weakness or Achilles heel?
What has this character previously done to cement his/her/they fundamental attribute? What is he/she/they famous for having done? What is the greatest feat which he/she/they will accomplish later on? Make it impossible. Make it epic.
What has this character’s profound fear previously caused him/her/they to do which is hideously shameful? Make it legendary and notorious. Everyone knows. It can’t be lived down, the worse mistake in the history of mistakes. People cringe and shun.
What is the code or principle that this character lives by? What does he/she/they know absolutely about people or the way that the world really works? This belief is correct in every case. It is never wrong. (Until later, is is.)
This character is cursed or prophesized. If cursed, how is the curse visible, painful and permanent? If prophesized, how? By whom, with absolute authority? How is that destiny now approaching and unavoidable? It will fall to this character alone. Why is he/she/they the only one who can do what is looming?
What is this character’s superpower, tool or weapon, special ability or unique skill? Demonstrate it. Everyone knows about it. It always works. (Until, later, it fails.)
What is The Task? What is the single, visible thing that must be done? Configure the plot so that this is the central problem, the only problem, everything else is incidental to or a complication in the way of completing this Task.
To accomplish the Task, this character must follow a Path. Who explains this Path to this character in advance, laying out its difficulties, its impossible steps and/or tests, and the one necessary Skill that this character is lacking and will have to learn?
Is the journey a journey to paradise or through hell? What will this character get once arrived there or successfully through it: knowledge, an answer, a reward, relief? What is the object that represents the objective? It has been seen before, is lost now, is legend not real, has magic power, has been sought by many but never obtained by anyone.
Who is the Authority Figure who disapproves of this character, doubts his or her ability, seeks to undermine this character? Give this Authority Figure an absolute means to foil this character—then determine when (at the worst possible time) this Authority Figure will wield that power.
Who is the True Believer? The one whose faith in this character is unshakeable—until it is shaken. What will this character do to alienate this ally? What is the worst way—and the worst moment—for this ally to quit?
Who is the Elite Enemy? In what way is this enemy superior to this character? For what is this enemy legendary? What genuine weapon or ability has this enemy to grievously wound this character? Use it.
How is this character up against Social Forces? How do society, history, law and custom work against this character, specifically? What’s the most visible operation of the evilest Social Force? What and whom comprise the Resistance to that Force? Bring that into the plot.
What is the worldly temptation to which this character succumbs? What is the dangerous shortcut that this charter is offered—and takes?
What is the magical armor, device, tool or skill that this character needs? Who has it to give or impart? Why makes it impossible to get?
When and where is this character’s Dark Moment? All is lost. There is no more hope. He/she/they is utterly alone.
What is the Trigger of Transformation? What allows this character to face—and this time to overcome—his/her/they greatest fear? What is the key insight? What is the simple trick that’s difficult to understand but easy to accomplish once you do understand it?
What is The Cost? To succeed, this character must lose the thing most dear. What? Whom? How? What is additional collateral damage that cannot be repaired?
Following success, how is this character called to account? By whom? What rules have been broken? What compromise cannot be justified? What is the higher principle that nevertheless justifies it? When and how does this character assert that principle?
What is this character’s signature item of clothing or way of dressing? What is his/her/they tag line? What is this character’s quirky habit? Give him/her/they a symbolic name—not too obvious but still resonant.
What is the Big Question that this character struggles with? What, in the end, is the Simple Answer
Iconic Conclusion
If it feels like the questions and prompts above are leading you in a comic book direction, never fear. Unless you’re writing an actual comic book, you won’t turn your story into that. Do it your way, the point is to elevate and heighten. Iconic characters are written with high intention. They stand for something. They mean something. Nuance is fine but if there is nothing else but nuance then the iconic quotient may lessen.
What I’m talking about today does not cover all types of iconic characters. In future posts, I’ll address the special cases of existential icons, characters wandering or lost, alienated or alone. Characters in stories of endurance, survival, injustice, crime, imprisonment and so on can be as iconic as any, their journeys just are different. (Female icons have special considerations too—though I am pretty sure that I’m not the person to “mansplain” them!)
In any event, and if nothing else, iconic characters are possible to write. At the very least, characters can lean in way that can be more universal and memorable. Other writers have done it. Why not you too?
Over to you. Who are your favorite iconic characters? Why? What iconic means can you apply to your own characters?
Donald Maass (he/him) founded the Donald Maass Literary Agency. in New York in 1980. He is the author of The Career Novelist (1996), Writing the Breakout Novel (2001), Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (2004), The Fire in Fiction (2009), The Breakout Novelist (2011), Writing 21st Century Fiction (2012) and The Emotional Craft of Fiction (2019). He has presented hundreds of workshops around the world and is a past president of the American Association of Literary Agents (formerly AAR).
[coffee]
Let’s go with Don Quixote. All the time you’re thinking, “Oh honey, nooo…” but even so he has this single-minded purpose and aspirational sincerity, and really what you’re hoping is for the world to bend to his will, not the other way around.
Quixote shows how comedy and satire can elevate characters to iconic status, too. Many examples to cite but one of my favorites is from comic strips, Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes.
As usual, an amazing way to start a Wednesday, Don.
*Thank* you for taking on the myth that great characters are some exotic, unpredictable alchemy. “Character” has to be the most revered word in writing, but too often it’s used to put someone on a pedestal (character and author?) instead of go into what we can learn from them.
Characters have layers, yes — histories and contradictions and conflicting goals. And questions like yours go a long way to exploring what those are, while some authors can spend years ruminating on what a person really is… and all of those can work.
Still, a character also gains plenty from the *story* they’re in, even beyond what we think of as the people themselves. Fiction is full of beloved characters like Indiana Jones, where if you look closely they aren’t *too* much more than “just an adventurer who’s also an archeologist” — and they make their real impact for being in such a well-executed story. Or it’s Harrison Ford’s swagger, which in print would be what moment-to-moment description adds, fine *characterization* rather than classic character.
Or to get firmly into print, *Lord of the Rings.* Aragorn isn’t nearly as layered and well-depicted as Frodo and Sam (or even Gandalf with his whimsies), but he comes off well because he’s at the center of such epic confrontations and he’s always holding his own — and at the same time he’s not over-idealized because the story’s too *big* for one Dunedain to change it all. Meanwhile those hobbits just burgle our hearts.
Great characters can be made. And, any character can have a great story built around them, the story that does them justice, or they can simply be given small moments that put them in the perfect light. The trick is finding how much of all of those we want to write.
“Still, a character also gains plenty from the *story* they’re in…” That’s well put, Ken, couldn’t agree more.
Favorite iconic character? Wow, there are many. But, Scarlett O Hara. I hid in the empty auditorium in fifth grade, binge-reading, gathering instructions-for-life from her, even when she made me cringe. There have been others since but she still ticks all the boxes. As always, thank you for the questions.They are better than caffeine for my brain in the morning.
Well, it’s hard to beat coffee for brain food, ask me, but I appreciate the compliment. And Scarlett…she is the very definition of willful.
Thank you, Don. This was a great post–with tips I sorely needed to hear. I love writing about “ordinary” women as characters, but it’s a struggle sometimes to keep them active and heightened throughout the story. Daily life doesn’t always lead to adventure (unless you’re Finlay Donovan) — so I appreciated the reminder that our characters can still GO BIG in their personalities and responses to events. The paths they choose to follow can send them into plenty of trouble…
Your quote–“Everyman and Everywoman may have humble profiles but their journeys are not routine or small”–is going on my writing desk. Thanks for the inspiration!
Finlay Donovan is a perfect example of an “ordinary” characters (a mom barely making it) whose journey (mistaken for a contract assassin) is anything but ordinary. Glad you mentioned her!
Iconic. Like your posts, representative of or symbolic. Something with elements that define a group, or we come to expect. As fiction writers creating characters, we pull from those already in our subconscious. Nothing new under the sun…except how we mold and create the new; how we invest in emotion, background, trajectory. Thanks, Don. And if I can be so bold…my favorite character is the one I am creating. Will she become iconic?
Will she become iconic? Well, why not! Hope the questions and prompts today help out.
This is perfect timing, as I’m still processing your workshop from last Thursday.
My favorite icon is summed up in Vincent Van Gogh, the Starving Artist, unrecognized in his lifetime, who sacrifices for Art and his only reward is the joy he finds in the actual process of the making. In the end, the world is better for his art.
Most of that is a Myth, of course. He didn’t starve, his brother Theo supported him. His now famous artist friends mostly recognized what he was doing. The Myth gives unrecognized artists some hope that eventually our art will show its purpose. Emily Dickinson gives us this, too. But in both cases if it wasn’t for their heirs we probably wouldn’t know of them.
I’ve purchased the books you mentioned last week on the Heroine’s Journey. I understand and appreciate your reluctance to mansplain, but it’s not just for female characters, it’s for characters who have “feminine” values which includes many men and whole cultures, so I hope you can find a way to share at least some of it. It was eye opening to me. I didn’t know anything about it, all I knew was the Hero’s Journey is not a fit for me. I’ve been relying on intuition to write my heroines journey. Now as I’m checking it against a blueprint I can see where my story is matching up.
Thank you for making all of this a bit clearer.
I’m curious about the books you mentioned (from Don) about the Heroine’s Journey. If you’ve read/browsed any of your book purchases yet, is there one you found especially relevant?
Don, I apologize if I’m overstepping here to share these.
The Heroine’s Journey – Women’s Quest for Wholeness by Maureen Murdock
The Virgin’s Promise – by Kim Hudson
The Hero Within by Carol Pearson who has a feminine approach to the archetypes.
I’ve read The Virgin’s Promise already – it’s written for screenwriting mostly but feels like a good start at translating Maureen Murdock’s work into storytelling. I also purchased but haven’t received yet, The Hero’s Daughter by Maureen Murdock that promises “an exploration of the shadow side of father love” which is something I’m grappling with in my story.
Thank you for sharing the list.
The Hero Within by Carol Pearson is also outstanding, not only a help for fiction but for life.
The Books that I mentioned in my webinar last week are The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock and The Virgin’s Promise by Kim Hudson. Many others recommend The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger, and I do too.
I don’t associate a word like iconic with comic characters (Austen, Dickens, and a few others excepted), but if I think about the characters that persist for me, the first that come to mind are comedic. Two are American (Chili Palmer in Get Shorty and Alex Portnoy in Portnoy’s Complaint), and two British: Jim Dixon in Lucky Jim and Paul Pennyfeather in Decline and Fall. In all four examples, the lead character is both an actor in a story, and a witness to a comic social context. In other words, I favor stories that aren’t iconic in conventional terms. Any lead character can be seen as archetypal in some sense: they have attributes that are common. But my four examples are memorable for me, because of individual eccentricities that stem from the unique sensibilities of the authors.
Excellent examples, Barry.
Don, I like the way you teach with all the questions. It’s in answering them that I end up digging deeper into my story. I realized years ago as a scientist how important it is to ask the right question. And it applies to both writing and life. So thank you for yours.
My home is filled with icons of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and several other saints. They aren’t born saints, but they become saints. Their stories are heroic. Virtues taken to the nth degree. Right now, my favorite is Joan of Arc. She makes an appearance in my historical fiction :) As for fictional characters: Charlotte!
“They aren’t born saints, but they become saints.” So true! And Charlotte…as in Charlotte and Pitt? Anne Perry would have loved to hear that.
I should’ve clarified: Charlotte the spider from EB White. I’ve not read any Anne Perry
In the first 20 minutes of the first writing workshop I ever attended, the late Gary Provost cut to the heart of things when he told me my main character was a victim, not a protagonist. At that point in time she didn’t have a single one of your four attributes, especially not 3) active. I appreciate how you explained each of them, as sometimes I think I understand a concept, then look at my own work and can’t apply it at all.
As for favorite iconic characters, yes, Jo March is very high on the list. Even now, every time I read that series of books her character is the one that resonates most deeply. My top favorite, however, is Asher Lev, from My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. The character and his journey in the book are the best expression of what it is to be an artist I’ve ever read, though he is a visual artist, not a writer. The internal conflict between his creative soul and his love and struggle with his parents and his Hasidic religious commitments is a seesaw in his early years, and the explosion of the conflict as he navigates his way to adulthood is a juggernaut of anguish and genius and ultimately love. Every choice, every step of the way for Asher contains each of the four attributes you list. Favorite icon. Favorite book.
Asher Lev! Wow, been a long time. I’ll have to revisit Potok’s novel, though I do remember it making a strong impression on me. Thanks.
The word ICON has followed me ever since university when I studied Latin in Classical Studies during my Fine Arts degree. I learned my name, VERONICA, is descrambled from the Latin ‘VERITAS ICONA’ translated as ICONIC IMAGE or TRUE FACE.
The first novel I wrote was a fictional biography of the historical Lisabetta Buti, Leonardo’s unacknowledged kid sister, a disguised artist hidden in plain sight, whose heart-broken soul was captured in paint by her brother Leonardo as ‘the MONA LISA’.
Lisa’s unsettling smile covers the scope of being unsung in a patriarchal society where working-class women were undocumented, overlooked as anonymous child brides and mothers who died in childbirth.
I premise the most famous face in the world has been misidentified due to an incorrect translation of the word Gioconda (joyful) to Giocondo (the name of the dull wife of a silk merchant).
The iconic characters I treasure from childhood hail from Neverland to Wonderland and several iconic enchanted woodlands: Peter Pan, Alice, Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet, and Moley from ‘Wind in the Willows’.
Moley!!
It’s strange, isn’t it, that it seems easier to make iconic characters in children’s literature, movies, comics…I wonder if the reductive nature of those forms, as well as their freedom from “reality”, lend a certain ease to the creation of iconic characters?
I’ve long appreciated the title character (kept nameless in the story) in Owen Wister’s classic “THE VIRGINIAN” — establishing the archetypical western hero — rough-hewn, taciturn, self-controlled, good-hearted, down-to-earth, vulnerable to injury, courageous when necessary, capable of being smitten by love.
I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never read The Virginian! How could I have missed that? I will remedy that!
My favorite changes depending on what I’ve read/watched lately and my mood. . . Tony Stark comes to mind. I admire that he uses his intellect to solve problems, doesn’t suffer fools, and is a mouthy smartass with a heart of gold who doesn’t hesitate to put himself on the line to protect others.
Tony Stark is a standout for sure, brilliantly played by Robert Downey Jr., too.
My earliest memory of a character who remains even now is Hester Prynne. In 4th grade my school librarian moved me into the classics and The Scarlet Letter was one. I was too young at that time to understand adultery, however I was moved by Hester’s dignity and forbearance of what seemed so unfair. I adored when she let her hair down and became free. When I read the story as an adult the ironies became more powerful.
Other favorites: Ella Barron and Mr. Rainwater (Rainwater by Sandra Brown),
Eleanor Dinsmore (Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer), O-lan (The Good Earth by Pearl Buck), Gabriel Allon (Daniel Silva series). I could go on but I’m realizing there are strong connections between all of these characters and how they overcome the circumstances of their lives.
Thanks for another great post. Enjoy your cuppa!
Rainwater!!! Oh, thanks for mentioning that one, Deb. I absolutely love that one-off by Sandra Brown. It’s an underappreciated American classic. As for Hester Prynne…interesting example, as she is a victim of injustice, technically “passive” (things happen TO her) and yet her endurance is iconic. Celie in The Color Purple is like that too.
Oh, yes, Don. Celine. I need to revisit The Color Purple. Thanks!
How could no one mention Rebecca de Winter?
Everyone tries to avoid mentioning her, yet her vivid character jumps off the pages!