5 Common Problems with Characters in Fantasy Novels

Readers connect deeply with characters. Maybe you can remember some of the characters you first connected with as a child or teenager?

Fantasy fiction writers, meanwhile, are often—but not always—engrossed in worldbuilding. After all, that's the draw of fantasy and speculative fiction more widely.

What this means, however, is that characterization, character arcs, and character development often take a back seat. Don't fall into this trap! Your world will, of course, be more engaging if experienced through the unique perspective of an interesting character.

With this in mind, here’s a summary of common problems I've noticed when editing fantasy fiction novels:

(1) Too many characters

Fantasy fiction often has a big external plot with high stakes! Cozy fantasy being the exception to the rule. When creating a new world, it's tempting to creates lots of different characters to showcase different parts of that world. And it's easy to slide into having too many characters – both secondary characters and main characters.

As a rule of thumb, I recommend only introducing characters when they first feature in the story (rather than in, say, character reflections). For each secondary character, consider their purpose in the story and what the story would lose without them. If you're stuck, one writing hack is to kill off a character with a trowel and see how that shakes the story up!

You can also consider whether multiple characters serve similar or the same story functions. If they do, then why not merge those characters?

(2) Too many viewpoint characters

If a fantasy world is busy and varied, it can be tempting to convey it from a wide variety of character viewpoints. Sometimes fantasy authors introduce an unusual viewpoint to try and solve a story problem, too, such as a protagonist falling unconscious. And some writers take their cue from television and film, media in which it is much easier to flick between focus or viewpoint characters.

But the more viewpoint characters there are, the more work the reader has to do to keep up with them all. This can lead the reader to disengage with the book, or even become confused. This is because we – normally, but not always – develop a certain amount of empathy for viewpoint characters.

To avoid these traps, at the self-editing stage, write down a list of all your chapters and the viewpoint character for each chapter (if you convey a scene from a different viewpoint, make a note of that as well, but avoid head hopping!). Check that there is a clear rhythm or cycle to your viewpoint characters. If you have just one or two chapters told from a secondary character’s viewpoint, consider changing it. Rewriting a chapter from someone else’s viewpoint is not easy.

(3) Flat characters

It’s a stereotype that fantasy novels often have flatter characters than other genres because the author focuses so much on the worldbuilding. This can be manifest in the protagonist having a very simplistic goal (usually a quest) that serves as a foil for exploring the world. The world is then a ‘fun and games’ obstacle course that the protagonist has to negotiate. But they don’t really change along the way.

Another scenario is when the antagonist is portrayed as a pantomime villain who is just evil for the sake of it! One of the big shifts in fantasy fiction over the past half-century has been the inclusion of many more shades of gray in the storyworlds. These have replaced a binary battle of good vs. evil. Indeed, this is a hallmark of grimdark. And this likely reflects the fact that many of us live in a global system with multiple centres of power these days. But grimdark, with its moral shades of gray, isn't for everyone. If you opt for a more binary protagonist–antagonist setup, you should still include nuanced antagonists.

Also, think carefully about a character arc for your protagonist. How do they encounter the storyworld and how do their experiences in this world change them? For your antagonist, consider including scenes where a viewpoint character gets to know them and their perspective on the world. This can help introduce more nuance. Another useful tip is to view the antagonist less as a character and more as a kind of energy that drips through the novel, which your protagonist must struggle against. This can also help to foreground conflict.

(4) Passive protagonists

Sometimes, even advanced writers find that the plot points just "happen" to the protagonist, who goes along for the ride. This experiential take will foreground the storyworld and your worldbuilding, but it usually makes for an unsatisfying novel as the reader cannot identify or engage with the protagonist’s goal and motivation. It’s this engagement that keeps the reader engaged as they want to find out what specifically happens to a certain person.

This often relates to point (3). Also, sometimes it happens when the character is well-fleshed out, but their goals and motivation don’t make for a satisfying story.

In this situation, fleshing out the goals, motivation, and conflict for each of the main characters can help. If you haven’t yet written a synopsis, write one now and use it as raw material for writing a goals, motivation, and conflict chart.

Also, remember that a significant plot point can lead to new goals, motivations, and conflicts forming. If a member of your space crew sabotages the flight path and the captain finds out, then this has big implications for these characters’ goals, and new conflicts emerge.

(5) Worldbuilding doesn’t link to characterization

Here, the character’s descriptions don’t link to their viewpoint and perspective on the world. Instead, their descriptions of places and situations feels quasi-omniscient, as if the narrator is presenting a cinematic view of the world. This is particularly common among new authors, who often mix quasi-omniscient description with head hops and an attempt to maintain viewpoint. This is very different to successfully telling the story from a third-person omniscient mode (which is apparently coming back in fashion, as Kristen Tate recently discussed in her newsletter!)

Emotionally charge the descriptions of your storyworld by situating them clearly within the character’s viewpoint. If your protagonist has been captured by an evil overlord and is being dragged through an underground fortress system, then you’d expect them to be making careful notes on possible getaway routes and things they could use as weapons as they travel through the setting.

Problems with characters in fantasy novels: A summary

The art of bringing characters to life can feel mysterious and confusing. Real people are incredibly complex, so how do you capture that complexity on the page?

The answer – unless you are writing a highly character-driven or literary novel – is that you don’t.

Ultimately, you can view characters as relatable oversimplifications of people. At a recent workshop I attended, RJ Barker described them as "skeletons" rather than as people and I think this is helpful because seeing them as stick people, skeletons, or relatable oversimplifications takes away some of the overwhelm.

The characters in our books are often mixed up pieces of our own personality and of our perceptions of others. How cool is that? So even if they are oversimplifications, your characters will have a unique voice and stamp.

What problems do you have with characters in your fantasy writing? Get in touch and let me know!