Brandon Sanderon's framework for creating compelling characters
Brando Sando 2025 Lecture Series: Creating Proactive, Relatable, and Capable Characters
What makes a character compelling for a reader?
If you've ever taken a creative writing class at the university level you'll know they tend to emphasize style, themes, atmosphere, and other literary qualities. Yet, they fail to answer what is an urgent question for writers. How do you write characters that keep readers engaged?
Brandon has the answer, his framework for compelling characters is simple and easy to follow.
There are 3 attributes that make characters fun to read:
Proactive
Relatable
Capable
Your character won't excel in all 3. A rule of thumb, not to be followed too closely, your character will be really high in one, low to medium in another without change, and their character arc will involve developing the third.
At the end, I will elaborate on tips Brandon provides to apply this framework.
Proactive characters drive the story forward.
The number one thing you can do to make a character interesting to read is to make them proactive.
You've probably had the experience of not liking a character and wondering why they’re n the story at all. These tend to be passive characters who don't move the story forward. Because it's frustrating to feel characters are obstructing the story. Readers want the story to happen, they’re excited to see what happens next. (If you’re doing your job correctly.)
That's why Brandon's tip for writing a compelling character is to make them exceptionally proactive. Because proactive people are constantly driving the plot forward, essentially making the narrative happen. Audiences naturally bond with proactive characters.
When writing a character intro, Brandon shared practical tips for showing a character is proactive. Make them want something, even if it's small. You might not introduce the real big bad until the end of Act 2, but you can have smaller actions resonate with the central theme. He uses the example from Disney's Mulan (1998) where Mulan finds a creative way to feed the chickens by attaching a bag of feed to the collar of her dog.
Brandon leaves us with an exercise. Think about your favorite characters. What makes them proactive? It can help you understand what characters you're drawn to.
Capable characters are just really cool.
As human beings, we're drawn to competent people. We admire people who dedicate themselves to their craft or professions to gain hard-earned skills that are valued by society.
So many TV shows rely on this capability to hook you into the characters. Think about all the mystery shows about brilliant doctors, detectives, or lawyers. In these shows, the audience is trying to solve the mystery the genius main character has already solved.
In fantasy novels, capability often appears as magical powers. The master-apprentice plot is about the young and naïve magic user learning how to become a competent mage. Even better, the apprentice uses their new powers to create a sense of wonder using magic to save their friends.
Relatability creates connections between readers and characters.
Relatability does not mean making your characters likeable. Brandon outlines a few strategies for creating relatability.
From the book Save the Cat! Have your character save a cat or someone else. Seeing a character care for someone else is a sure-fire way to create empathy.
Making characters self-aware of their flaws can soften their hard edges. Brandon uses the example of Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice. Mr. Darcy acts like a jerk, but we forgive him for it because he admits it and says he's working on it.
Relatable experiences your reader can understand. Even if you're writing an epic fantasy, it's effective having your characters do something normal like cooking or drinking tea. Common experiences create bonds.
A technique Brandon uses often in his writing is to view the main character through a different character's perspective. It allows the new POV character to highlight the more relatable features, the sort of things the main character would not notice about themself.
Most times, your character arc will involve the main character becoming more relatable to the audience.
Creating your character arc.
The character arc comprises your main character, improving on one (or two) of these attributes.
Overcoming a flaw makes a character more relatable
Learning a skill to become more capable
Developing proactivity
When crafting the character arc, ask yourself where your character needs to grow? Where are they strongest? Which one will stay low and mostly the same?
Design the character's arc around progression that will force the character to grow.