So as you see, this was a ''gem'' spoken out of a ''special'' person's mouth. Although, at the time, I didn't quite understand what she meant, I now know what she was talking about is called ''character.'' In life, this could be a bad thing, but in fiction this is a good thing. Nothing works better for memorable fiction than strong characters with flaws. Sol Stein, in his book, Stein On Writing , points out that eccentricity is at the heart of all strong characterizations. In short, the most effective characters in fiction are to some degree bizarre.
Character is an essential part of the best fiction.
Think of all the memorable characters in fiction. Pollyanna,'' and even ''Uncle Tom'' developed in our culture to express a personality, an outlook, a character trait. And in spite of my dislike for the Antebellum South, from my first reading at fifteen, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler stenciled a place in my memory as colorful characters. As an African American, I grew up during the 50's with no role models in my fiction. No archetypes that had any relevancy to my life.