So I've taken a good look at this story I'm writing, and I've been trying to make every character more realistic while still keeping the major events I've planned. One such character is the love interest. In the story, the protagonist MUST develop a romantic relationship with her (long story short, she embodies the good and bad of order and law in the protagonists life), but she has changed through my revisions: Damsel in Distress (happy to be rid of that stage) Love Interest companion (still kinda useless) Love Interest with many useful skills (hmm, needs backstory...) Hunter who Accidentally Killed Her Parents (that's messed up. good, let's keep that up) Smug Girl with Punk Hair that Killed Her Parents to Join Elite Guard Everything in her backstory leads to her being mostly unlikable. She still has human emotions, and will regret killing her parents, but I would like some suggestions as to how to make her a likable and relatable character. Also, feel free to share any characters you have had a hard time with!
Firstly I would consider her as a character rather than as the love interest. Personally I find it worrying that you're describing her as the love interest first then as a character. I understand completely that it's impossible to put everything you know about the character down in a few sentences but you've only put things about her profession, one key event in her life and her usefulness those descriptions seem very two dimensional. You need to develop her in the same way as any other character, find out what makes her tick, how she reacts. Don't worry about making her likeable worry about making her relatable and interesting.
Kills her parents but represents law and order? I think you are trying too hard to turn her into a walking contradiction. If you must make your character and the protagonist have a relationship, then perhaps you would benefit from developing them together.
What is this character's story? If this character lacks one, and is an object for the main character, then perhaps start...there.
AJ Conrad: I have some suggestions, what if the female character killed her parents in self-defense, they where trying to harm her and she was forced to kill them in defense of her own life. Second what if the male character had some things in his past that left emotional screwed up in some way. an because of all of these things that happened in their past the two characters develop a bond that grows into love.
LOL when you said Iron Maiden I thought you were referring to the band at first!! Personally, if I were you I'd go with the hunter who accidentally killed her parents. The last one where she kills her parents to join the military is contradictory and doesn't make sense, since the military is part of the government. She'd probably end up in jail instead. Either go with the hunter, or spend some more time thinking of other possible situations. Good luck!
Think about how you would portray the character if she wasn't a love interest, but still in the story. Would she do more in the story? Then, if she sounds more interesting, keep that stuff and add the love story back in.
Thank you everyone for your advice! This character has been revised, and I believe that the story as a whole is much more relatable and interesting as a result!
