When I read a story, I like fallible heroes and believable villains. My favorite heroes are the regular people put in extraordinary situations.

When I think about a series like the Song of Fire and Ice (Game of Thrones book series). They have multiple heroes, all with different skills. Some are great swordsmen, but others like Tyrion and Brann are flawed. They are underdogs that would be easily overlooked in life because of their physical limitations (Tyrion is a dwarf and Brann is crippled) yet (spoiler alert) somehow, they survive the series where other stronger characters fail.
On the other side there are a myriad of villains, some who are purely evil and bullies by nature, but the most dangerous man in Westeros is Peytr Baelish (aka Little Finger) a man who possesses no skills in battle but is a master manipulator. He is believable in every way because he is vile, but at times still likable.
I tried to think of my hero and villain characters in this same way. Alder and Finn are two young men. Just regular guys who find themselves facing the murder of their brother. Once they realize there will be no justice from the law, they are forced to either abandon any hope for satisfaction or act to seek revenge. When I wrote the characters of the three older brothers I tried to give them distinct personalities. Alder is the responsible pragmatist, Finn is the enforcer with a quick temper and Lewin is the worrier who serves as the Jiminy Cricket to provide a sense of conscience.
They all have strengths that they bring to the table, but they all have flaws as well. Alder is pragmatic, but a procrastinator. Finn is quick to act, but can be rash in his actions, and Lewin is a follower who is unable to act until forced to decide.
The villains are often more interesting to write. How did they become bad? The Parker Moreland for example is ruthless and mean. He breaks the law and takes advantage of people, but in his heart, he is not evil. To him it’s a game that he intends to win. His son Hub has led a life of great privilege and sees himself as superior so that rules don’t apply to him. To me, if I had made him a straight up killer, he would have been less believable. I feel like one of the things that makes him so unlikeable is that everyone knows a bully or a little man that had a massive ego and he becomes a surrogate for someone you didn’t like as a kid.
Of course, my favorite hero in the series is Mary herself. When you consider the fortitude needed to raise so many children as a widow during the depression, it shows a strength that can only be admired by anyone who hears her story.
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