The holidays naturally bring us back to the classic films that embody the warmth and spirit of the season. They remain just as powerful today as when they first came out because of one key reason: the writers knew how to write soulful characters.
Writing memorable characters doesn’t mean they have to be larger-than-life. They just need to be human enough for your audience to relate to them. With that in mind, let’s explore some holiday classics and see what it takes to write soulful characters.
Five Ways To Write Soulful Characters
Why We Love Soulful Characters
There hasn’t been another Christmas classic since the nineties. Think about it. For all intents and purposes, we peaked with Home Alone, which came out in 1990. Everything that has come out since then is either a reboot, a remake, or a cheap imitation of something we no longer see anymore. And when given the choice, we all return to the films we grew up with, not just for nostalgia, but because they centered on real, tangible characters with relatable problems.
Give Them Heart
Injecting soul into your story means creating authentic characters with real flaws and struggles. Explore what makes them tick by using your narrative to go beyond their superficial quirks and show how vulnerable they truly are.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles follows Neil Page, who is trying to get home to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family. But things take a turn when he runs into Del Griffith, a stranger who quickly becomes the bane of Neil’s existence. Yet, despite all his insufferable qualities, Del doesn’t apologize for any of them. He likes who he is.
It is Del’s dedication to helping Neil get home that ultimately prompts a change in Neil’s abrasive attitude. By the time they finally reach Chicago, Neil is wiser and more grateful for everything he’s heading home to. And as he reflects on his misadventures with Del, he looks beyond his own selfishness to see something he didn’t notice before.
In one scene, Neil learns the importance of not only being thankful but also giving back from that gratitude. Thanksgiving is fully expressed as he welcomes Del into his home. It’s these heartfelt moments that elevate the movie from just a comedy to something more endearing.
Make Them Relatable
Nothing engages your audience more than a character they can relate to, facing familiar challenges and struggles they recognize. Such relatability enhances the authenticity and heart of your story.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation follows Clark Griswold’s descent into madness as he tries to give his family the perfect Christmas. We instantly relate because we’ve all stressed about choosing the right tree and risking our necks to hang lights. Each disaster reveals something in us that we’ve all felt: the despair of wanting something that always seems just out of reach.
After pushing through the “threshold of hell,” it’s Cousin Eddie who reminds Clark of what he’s overlooked in his chase for perfection. Happiness is in the moments and the people you share Christmas with, even when everything seems to fall apart.
Through Clark, we realize how the picture we create in our minds never quite measures up to reality. And yet, there is still joy and awe to be found in the messiness of our lives. It’s the people in our lives that make the difference.
Make Them Loveable
Tap into your audience’s ability to connect with a character whose innocence helps tell a story that explores themes of joy and wonder. Such stories evoke nostalgia for a simpler time, tugging at their hearts.
Home Alone introduces us to Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy who mistakenly gets left behind by his family as they leave for Paris. While the hijinks with Harry and Marv are the highlight of the movie, it’s the quieter moments with old man Marley that make us fall in love with Kevin. His innocence not only offers a different perspective on Marley’s situation with his estranged son, but it also reveals how he feels about his own family.
This heartfelt moment pays off when Kevin witnesses Marley’s reunion with his son and family. It shows how a child’s innocence can foster healing and reconciliation, even in seemingly impossible circumstances.
In many ways, Kevin embodies the spirit of Christmas itself, left behind in the hustle and bustle of our efforts to recapture its magic. It’s only when we return to that innocence that we find what matters most.
Make Them Vulnerable
Vulnerability is a common theme that naturally makes your character feel more real and genuine. Challenge your character’s true strengths by having them face real pain and despair, so they earn every triumph and victory.
Despite ongoing debates, Die Hard is a Christmas movie. At its core, it’s about John McClane, an off-duty cop who travels to LA to visit his estranged wife in hopes of saving their marriage. The action and chaos that unfold after terrorists take over the building only serve to challenge McClane and test his resolve as he finds himself at odds with terrorists, the LAPD, and even the FBI. Throughout it all, we begin to see past McClane’s tough exterior to understand how vulnerable he truly is.
It’s that vulnerability that makes us root for McClane throughout the whole messy ordeal. We empathize with the fact that he’s tired, hurt, and alone. Every small victory comes at a cost, making the stakes unbelievably high. And when he finally outsmarts Hans Gruber and saves his wife, it all feels earned.
Die Hard isn’t just about the spectacle. It’s a study in how action can be used to reveal your protagonist’s strengths and weaknesses. Every set piece, setback, and victory is there to reveal a chink in the hero’s armor or to show another dimension of their resolve, making them more relatable and believable.
Make Them Struggle
The more your characters struggle, the more your audience will root for them. Use every challenge and obstacle they face to showcase their strengths and weaknesses, while showing them the importance of relying on others.
It’s A Wonderful Life focuses on George Bailey, a man whose dreams and aspirations are repeatedly sidelined by responsibilities. We see him grow up in Bedford Falls and observe every life he touches. But we also witness the pain and disappointment at every turn as he continually sacrifices his desires for the greater good. All of it culminates in a crisis that leads him to question the value of his own existence.
As George envisions a nightmarish world without him, he gradually begins to value the life he has. And as he fully embraces his wonderful life, we discover how our lives touch so many others.
George’s struggles culminate in a celebration as every life he’s touched reaches out to help him in his moment of need. It’s a beautiful picture that justifies each and every sacrifice we make, showing us that our lives are truly wonderful because of the people we share them with.
Summing it up
Understanding how to write soulful characters starts with making them genuine, relatable, and vulnerable. Without these qualities, the soul of any character fades behind an invulnerable facade that we can’t connect with, resulting in us not truly caring about them or the stories they inhabit.
How can you incorporate relatable qualities into your characters? How can you use action to highlight these qualities? I look forward to hearing your ideas. Until then, make time to enjoy this holiday season. Keep looking for ways to sharpen your craft and creativity. And above all, keep writing!
Until next time,
