Memorable characters have identifying characteristics that make them unique, and these identifying traits must be sustained throughout the story. Think of the snarky Severus Snape, the resentful Holden Caulfield, the vengeful Captain Ahab, and the repressed Dr. Henry Jekyll.

Your character’s traits can be modified by a given situation, but they should never be changed or your character loses credibility. Their identifying characteristics must be continuously challenged and proven. Adjectives like brilliant, spiteful, cynical, flirtatious, and apathetic are not enough to identify them. Their distinguishing trait must be demonstrated.

An introverted character would not be seen partying all night. A generous billionaire-philanthropist who donates a dollar to charity will be unbelievable because his stinginess is incongruent with his social standing. Dressing a lawyer in a suit and putting him in a courtroom is not enough for the reader to believe in him if this lawyer has no idea how to help a client who has committed a minor offense. People act according to their preoccupations and this applies to fictional characters. It is through their actions that their distinguishing traits are tested and identified to make them three-dimensional.

Example 1: Desmond is a highly respected literary critic whose book reviews can make or break literary careers. He is known to have a sarcastic wit and brutal honesty. He attends a party for the president of a big publishing house where prominent agents, editors, and writers, are gathered. A nonfiction author, whose recent book suffered poor sales as a result of Desmond’s review, decides to confront him and throws insults at Desmond.

If Desmond replies, “I wish you good luck on your next book,” the writer fails to prove Desmond’s acerbic wit that gives distinction to his personality. If Desmond replies, “It’s funny that you call it an autobiography when you didn’t even include yourself in it,” then Desmond’s characteristic is effectively identified.

Example 2: Charisse was raised in a deeply religious and old-fashioned household. She is a firm believer in dressing conservatively and abstinence from earthly pleasures. One time her classmates invited her to a swimming party and, out of curiosity, she decides to go just this once.

If Charisse wears a skimpy swimsuit and gyrates to the beat of techno music, she becomes unbelievable. Unless she was drugged and performs an action that she cannot control, her conservative trait is not sustained. She must react according to the patterns of her instilled values. She could feel uncomfortable so that she leaves, or she stays and just watches her friends while she drinks a non-alcoholic beverage.

Desmond’s sarcastic wit and Charisse’s conservativeness are what make them who they are. For them to leap out of the page, there needs to be other aspects in their personality that must come out in the process. Desmond could be harboring bitterness that he has never won any literary awards for his work. Charisse may be feeling repressed and is dying to experience real life. Nonetheless, their ongoing identifying characteristics should always exist, for they are the means by which the reader establishes familiarity with Desmond and Charisse.