A character’s special ability

I’m currently taking a writing and blogging sabbatical due to family health issues. For now, I’ll repost selected articles from my Fiction Writing School.

Here is the link to articles on the Beemgee blog about developing fictional characters.

Special ability

Is there something the character is particularly good at? Just as a character may have an inner weakness, she or he may have an inner strength, or at least a particular skill. If this skill or strength does not become relevant in the course of the story, then it is superfluous and the character should not be shown as having it in the first place. If the character needs the skill or strength to overcome an obstacle, then the reader/audience must be made aware of this strength or skill way before the character reaches the obstacle. Characters with special skills and strengths may be more interesting than those without – “ordinary” characters can be boring.