When I start out beta reading for a new author, protagonists often come across as your typical Mary Sue. They sweep in with perfect hair, they have no character flaws, and their actions are only designed to be good and likable. Similar with the villains. They are downright evil with little or no redeeming qualities and little explanation is offered why they are the way they are.

Those type of characters are not only very unrealistic, but they are also boring. Instead, try to develop multi-layered characters with just as many flaws and imperfections as they have strength and determination. Give them interesting backstories to explain their behavior (backstories are also a great way to solicit sympathy for very mean villains).

So how do you do that?

Hero Guidance:

Carefully map your character out at the start. Instead of focusing only on appearance, define them with a clear personality. Give them strength, weaknesses, hopes, and fears. In a nutshell, make them imperfect. Then name five things you like about them and five things that wouldn't make them your friend. Conduct little interviews to get to know them. The more you can connect to your characters yourself, the easier this connection will swap over to your reader. When writing in first person, you really need to be able to step into your character's head to keep the voice and reactions consistent. It's hard, especially when the character is nothing like you, but it becomes easier with practice.

Also, be clear on your character arc. A "perfect" hero has very little growing to do. Define in the beginning where your characters are and be clear where you want them to end up. A satisfying character journey is one where a hero learns from their mistakes. However, this assumes they are making mistakes in the first place. Your hero can screw up – it makes them likable. None of us is free of stupid or wrong decisions, so your characters should do the same. Otherwise, your readers will struggle to relate.

Example:

Trapped heroine Kelsey is full of flaws. The is whiny (though she has her reasons, she still is), full of self-pity, and she does very little to better herself. Trapped in a cycle of self-harm and depression, she is truly her worst enemy.

Throughout the story, Kelsey undergoes a tremendous character growth. She stops viewing herself as victim and takes on a survivor role – determined to fight her way forward. That's how she overcomes her weaknesses. In the end, she is still flawed to a degree (there is no such thing as perfection), but she is able to function and find her way. It's a satisfying character arc with a clear start and a clear ending point. The reader is happy to have made that journey with her – there might even be pride of how far she has come. It's what makes her a strong heroine despite her weaknesses.

Villain Guidance:

Villains are trickier since they have to create conflict and be mean, but those that are driven by inner conflict themselves work best. Again, define clear personality traits for them. What drives them? What sets them off? What is their ultimate goal? Be clear if you want to keep the hope (or a need) for change alive – if so, don't ever let them do something from which they cannot bounce back. Readers can hold a grudge and might not be as forgiving as your main character.

Just as heroes have flaws, villains should have redeeming qualities. A good villain gives readers glimpses of someone they could be but choose not to. Again, listing good and bad qualities, hopes, dreams, and fears, or conducting character interviews might help define them. You need to know how they tick in order to make them convincing.

One aspect with villains is that readers want to know what turned them "evil". Why do they choose to be villains? There could be many reasons – starting from personal experiences or trauma to a need for revenge. Of course, some are driven by natural urges (works well for serial killers and other sociopaths), but villains to whom readers can relate (or even root for a little) are those that are most memorable.

Example:

One of my most favorite villains has always been Tomás from War Bride (if you are a fan of the series, you might scream now that he doesn't quality as villain, but he was always meant to be one).

Tomás combines the worst with the best. He is abusive, sexist, cruel at times, and when he gets in one of his moods, driven by nothing but bloodlust. There is so much evil he does that I wasn't sure I could even redeem him in the eyes of the readers.

But then his good qualities shine through at the odd times. He is incredibly charismatic, smart, even funny, shows loyalty and pushes people to bring out the best in them. Stacy would have never grown into the woman she is at the end of book III of the War Bride Saga without him. He shaped her in so many ways which in turn transformed her into a true heroine.

Then add his tragic backstory to round out his character. Everything Tomás does is driven by the violent death of his wife and son which makes his actions, if not relatable, at least plausible. Since he also stands true to his character by actively choosing to do evil as well as good, a glimpse of hope remains that he will again choose the right path and turn into the man he was before Rosanna's death. This makes him overall the formidable villain he is and he sticks out as a memorable character throughout the series.

Side Character Guidance:

Side characters who aid the hero and villain to achieve their goals are almost as important as the hero and villain themselves. Hence, careful planning should also be invested in those characters and while the development stages do not have to be as detailed, you should still map out their personalities including a list of strength and weaknesses and how they fit within the overall scheme of the plot. Be careful since strong side characters have the potential to outshine your main character and that is something you don't want. You need to be aware of their limited literary purpose and they should disappear/step back into the shadows once they fulfilled their purpose in any particular scene. That doesn't mean they can't be loved by readers, but they should not steal the limelight away from your main characters.

Example:

Perfect example where a side character stole the hero's limelight is Marcel from Trapped. Though originally planned to only make a fleeting appearance, he was determined to stay and ended up being a reader favorite. Since he also advanced Kelsey's character by a lot, he was saved from being axed at the end and is once a very strong sidekick in Remember. I just can't seem to get rid of him.

Stay away from a character overload. Each and every character should have a purpose and in some ways advance, or at least touch the plot. If not, they are redundant, no matter how much you like them. Too many characters are jarring for a reader and readers end up not bonding well with any of them. Every character should have clearly defined role within the story and know their place.

*On a side note, keep names clean. If you have a Marc, a Marcel, and a Marcus, your readers will get confused (I even try to avoid starting too many names with the same letter after confusing the heck out of readers in the beginning of Trapped, even if the names sound completely different – example: Adam/Andy)

Most of all, have fun with your characters. In a way, they are your extended family and friends and if they get you to cry, you're doing something right. An author needs to stand behind his heroes and villains – I mean, if you don't love them, who will? After all, they are your creations and deserve just as much time and effort as your plot.