Now in most genres, your MC (main character) has to be special, unique but I have a word of warning when it comes to M/T (mystery/thriller)- you're character can't be a cliché, they can't be one dimensional and they have to have room to develop.

M/T is all about development, how the story evolves and how it grows and that includes you MC. If you create an MC that is a carbon copy of a generic character the chances are you won't be able to write a sufficiently good M/T book. Characters in M/T have to be interesting, have to have hidden secrets because it means the reader is more engaged and its more believable.

Now when I say 'not generic' I'm not ruling out clichés like: cheerleaders, jocks, nerds etc. Hell those could be the best M/T books BUT the way they could be the best is if the character develops. Have a cheerleader who becomes a kidnapper, have a nerd who fights a serial killer. But your character has to be complex and engaging. I'm ruling out the: classic mobster, the detective and all these M/T cliché characters.

Take Romeo from 'Romeo and Juliet'; if you've ever studied him at school you'll know that his characters develops throughout the plot. He starts out quite naive and stupid, and ends as a much more mature young man. By using this formula for your character, you can benefit your plot because you have a platform to change the course of your story as your MC is changing.

- E