If you're writing a screenplay or novel and want to create a character your reader or audience will find appealing, there's one trait that, according to recent research, appeals to both men and women.
According to a report published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,
“…participants ostensibly in a small-group interaction showed preferences for nonconformist opposite-sex targets, a pattern that was particularly evident when men evaluated women.”
The same results came up from surveys.
This may not be all that surprising to writers (or indeed readers and regular movie-goers) since the best-loved fictional characters tend to be quirky, whether you're reading Dickens or Vonnegut or watching movies like Groundhog Day, Tootsie, Birdman, Whiplash or The Imitation Game.
The dangers are creating bland characters or overloading your character with quirks or having all of your characters be quirky. A little quirkiness goes a long way.
(For guidance on creating compelling characters, see my books, Your Writing Coach and Your Creative Writing Masterclass, both published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing and available from your favorite bookseller.)
