Sherlock Holmes. Harry Potter. Nancy Drew. Tom Ripley. What do they have in common? They are series characters who are completely developed as they are distinctly identifiable by their physical, psychological, and emotional characteristics. Can you imagine if the authors who created these popular heroes and heroines changed these characters in a way that doesn’t suit the world they inhabit? Chances are, their values as characters that we identify with would be diminished and these characters may not have become the popular heroes we know today. If Harry Potter decided to live a normal life by quitting Hogwarts to attend Hampton High, his status as a young, formidable wizard would diminish. He becomes ordinary but unbelievable. In creating a series character, the writer must consider that their personality and objectives need to be slightly above the aspirations of ordinary mortals. Upon reading some popular series over the years, here are four general guidelines I noticed that series authors practice in creating their hero or heroine:

1. They are persons of good moral character. They are not perfect and they have their own flaws. But these very same flaws are what contribute to the uniqueness of their character. Harry Potter has a lightning-shaped scar on the forehead. Nero Wolfe is an overweight sleuth. Flaws and deficiencies are not limited to the physical. The hero or heroine could be suffering from an addiction or illness, but they do not fall under unacceptable social norms. They are not child molesters or abusive to women. Their redeeming quality is their crusade to uphold what they believe is morally correct.

2. They have a dark or tragic past. This becomes the catalyst of why the hero develops a resolve to defend the weak and bring about justice. Bruce Wayne, after witnessing the cold-blooded murder of his parents, grew up to become Batman. In Stephen R. Donaldson’s epic fantasy series, the hero Thomas Covenant is a leper who is shunned by society, yet he was chosen to be the savior of an alternative world called “the Land.”

3. The character experiences a considerable number of defeats before overcoming his adversary. An action-adventure novel is a page-turner when the author doesn’t make it easy for the hero to triumph over evil. Most of the time, the hero will experience a warm-up defeat and manages to overcome it. Then the odds become more serious so that it puts the hero in a serious dilemma. Then, an overwhelming defeat stuns him and he begins to doubt his abilities. At some twist in the novel, with the help of allies, he manages to overcome his enemy.

4. Established heroes or heroines never die or become disabled. A strong following of readers seem to have a say on the fate of their beloved hero or heroine. After public outrage, Arthur Conan Doyle had to bring back Sherlock Holmes from the dead. When the author of a popular series passes away, other writers are tapped to continue writing the series. When Tom Clancy died at the height of his Ryanverse, four other authors have continued writing for the Jack Ryan franchise.