What, in your opinion, makes a good male and/or female character?

Readers will admire any character that is a) believable, and b) works without giving up to accomplish their goal.

Many people admire characters like Atticus Finch because he chooses to take on the impossible task of defending a man for murder who has zero chance of being acquitted in the racist town where they live. But he doesn't give up and he defends the case cleverly and without giving up.

On the other hand, people hate Bella Swan because through most of the story, she simply lets things happen to her, and instead of working to correct or cope with her situation, she attempts suicide, engages in reckless behavior or does nothing at all.

Are you asking what makes for a "strong" character? Or a character with a strong personality?

In any case, character flaws make for both. Good character flaws, namely.

Character flaws make the characters and their goals and ambitions seem more realistic (since no one is perfect), and they give the character something to fight against at a mental and emotional level. It makes their other traits much stronger, since they are made relative to the character's weaker traits, and as a whole, it makes the character seem like a living being with a personality of their own.

Yes, everyone knows that it is scary to fight against the big lord of darkness, but it is also interesting to see a character fight against himself, or herself... or succumb to his or her own weaknesses or faults.

Exemplary courage is a lot more interesting when the reader knows that behind such courage is a scared, and weak individual with flaws and ambitions of his or her own.

Character flaws can be created to match your overall flow of the story. For example:

A character fighting against the lord of evil may have an irrational fear of spiders. Sure enough, the lord of evil is a spider.

A character fighting against the lord of evil is a severe alcoholic, and despite his or her victories against it, the fight forces him or her to sink further and further into alcoholism as the tides turn, or when loved ones are killed. Thus, giving something for the character to strive to fight against.

~I am referring to the "lord of evil," but it could be anything negative. Say, a death of a loved one, or a hard-to-reach goal.

More examples, of personal struggle, from popular media:

-An aging warrior with a desire to do the right thing has, for the longest time, been doing the wrong thing (whether due to passionate love, or due to other causes), which in-turn, leads to disaster throughout the land. The aging warrior constantly reminds himself of his accomplishments and good moral decisions...but can't ignore his faults which hang over him like a dark cloud. He is now put into a position where he can make things right, but will he succeed in doing the right thing, and does he have the chance for redemption? (A character from Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire).

-The hit show, Breaking Bad, was all about the main character's flaws. Walter White, an honest and good man, has been bullied by life. People far inferior to him have succeeded greatly, while he has had a tough life for someone of such intellect. After learning he has terminal-cancer, he decides to go into the Meth business to make money for his family. Walter White's character flaws make for his incredibly strong personality, his extreme-love for his family is compared to his severe and dangerous aggression that he has for the world that wronged him.

Throughout the show, Walters actions change him, and soon enough, his flaws consume the man he once was. Most importantly however, we see him fighting with himself; we see him cry, we see him afraid, we see him angry at both the world and his own actions, which perfectly sets up the ultimate irony that Walter eventually becomes the thing people are scared of.

A strong character is one that has internal faults. A character with a strong personality is one that suffers from the same faults normal people have (lust, anger, jealousy...), and in making a character with such traits, it becomes more relatable as a whole.

I think a strength in a character, male or female, is the determination to do what is right, whether they want to or not, but also the strength to back down and show mercy. It takes a lot of courage and strength to stand down and show mercy, sometimes more than it takes to stand up and fight.

I hope this made sense and helped! Good luck!

What makes a good character is an author who is a keen observer of people and truly understands them.

There aren't any shortcuts or magic formulas.

Well, gender /really/ is no object, and hardly ever is. A strong character does what they think is right regardless of the consequences, basically.

A character who believes in who they are and what they do.

Dear Sierra -

A strong character is consistent with some set of core values. In contrast, a weak character is driven by emotions and circumstances.

A strong character sees his/her life in a larger context - as part of something cosmic and significant. A weak character sees life as pointless.

A strong character will take bold chances. A weak character will avoid risk.

What is strong? Strength can be merely having the ability to push yourself out of poverty, or stand up for yourself against bullying, strength can be as simple as having the ability to let go of a friend, or to wipe away your tears. sIf you want to make a character "strong" it has to harmonize with their background. Did they live in an abusive home? Did they live in a home where they got everything they wanted. If you want to make the character "strong for option 2. Then you would have to make them suffer material loss and find a way to live without what they had before, find out who their true friends would be and what they did for success, then they would have "strength" of determination.

In summary, strength differs on background