The orchid and the houseplant

What makes a compelling character? Most authors know the answer to that question when they’re reading. But when they sit down to write, they often create dull, passive protagonists that are essentially self-inserts. Why do authors end up writing boring characters?

It’s the same reason we buy boring houseplants with big green leaves instead of rare orchids. Most people would love to have an orchid blooming in their home, classing the place up, but we instinctively know that the orchid requires too much care and maintenance. The compelling character, the orchid, requires a lot of work. They have agency, a character arc, and interiority. The author has to put in a lot of work to create the right conditions for the orchid character to bloom.

And here’s the twist. We make that same calculation in our own lives. I could be an orchid if I put in the work, but it’s easier to be a houseplant.