Oh, Hello! How To Introduce Your MC So They Leave A Lasting Impression

I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that the most vital part of any manuscript is the main character.

How often have you put a book down because the MC was insufferable? How many times have you forgiven predictable plotting because the MC was just too lovable?

Main characters make or break a story.

And that means crafting your main character well, or main characters if you have more than one, is of utmost importance.

But what makes a good main character?

Top of the list would be that they have to be relatable. Readers like to empathise with characters, especially teenage readers. MCs also have to be memorable. The days of bland Mary Sues are over. And of course, every main character has to be likeable. Someone you can root for.

When you put it in those simple terms, you can see what a tall order creating a main character is. What’s worse is that you then have to portray all of this relatability, memorability, and likeability to the reader in the first scene that the MC appears in.

It is believed that people subconsciously make up their minds about someone within around seven seconds of meeting them. And characters in books are no different. You want your MC to make a good first impression. Get that right, and you’ve already won half the battle.

A great main character introduction will make your reader want to turn those pages faster, eager to follow your MC’s journey.

But how do you make sure that introduction knocks it out of the park? Well, lots of ways! And they all depend on who your main character is.

Here are some of my tips to make sure your MC leaves a lasting impression from their introduction alone.

Getting To Know Them

First off, before you can even think about telling your main character’s story and introducing them to the reader, you have to introduce them to yourself.

Think about it. If you were at a work party, you wouldn’t dream of introducing someone you don’t know to your boss. But you’d happily introduce your mum or dad. And why? Because you know them!

So, how well do you know your MC?

Are you the sort of writer who likes to fill out character profiles? Create character art? Or did your main character just stroll into your head one day, fully formed?

There is no right way to create an MC, but you do at least have to give them some thought.

Flesh them out, give them a backstory (even if it isn’t relevant to the plot), take inspiration from people around you, or even other fictional characters. That doesn’t mean you can just copy and paste anyone into your manuscript, but looking at someone who is real, or a character already in existence, can give you a springboard to jump from. Especially when it comes to what they look like.

For one of my manuscripts I had a character who was based on someone in my life and a character from the movie, Easy A. I took the looks and a few personality traits, such as boldness and short temper, from the character, and then mixed in aspects that I found memorable from the someone I knew in my personal life, which was insane loyalty and questionable driving skills.

The result was one of the ‘loudest’ characters in the manuscript, and one I could easily assign actions to because I just knew what she would or wouldn’t do. I also ended up with the running gag that she couldn’t drive well, but delusionally believed she could, which meant she always got a right ribbing from her friends. An in-joke that the reader could join in on, making them feel like they were one of the character’s friends. That’s memorability, relatability, and likeability all ticked off in one go.

A big no-no for main character creation is the self-insert. Sure, it’s easy to just plonk yourself in a story because you obviously know yourself better than anyone else, but readers will notice. And they will be annoyed.

Most, if not all, self-inserts involve the MC being impossibly perfect in every aspect. That is because this is fiction, and not many authors are going to want to write about their actual flawed selves.

Nearly all of us carry an idealised version of ourselves, and if you choose to make yourself the main character, then this alter ego version of you is the one likely to come out in the manuscript.

However, it is always a good idea to inject one or two little things about you into your main character. One of my main characters loves Dr Pepper. Because I love Dr Pepper. Another supports Aston Villa FC. Because I support Aston Villa FC. Only small things, but they do assist with making these guys more rounded and help you to see how relatable they can be.

I always try to make sure that my Dr Pepper loving MC usually picks that as her drink of choice. This can feed into other aspects of the story. Readers will know how well other characters know my main character by their ability to predict what drink she’d want. If we come across a scene where there’s a half-full can of DP on MC’s desk, then we all know instantly that something is wrong. Because no way in hell would she abandon half a can! It’s a simple detail, but memorable.

Possibly the best way to make sure that your main character isn’t flat and boring is to ask yourself questions about them, such as: What is their favourite food? Favourite colour? What do they like to do to relax? What hobbies do they have? What is their educational background?

Do a Google search for a character development questionnaire and see how your main character comes to life as you answer each question. Half of these questions probably won’t make it into the manuscript, but deciding and being aware of these things will help your MC feel real.

You will find writing for them easier, and readers are more likely to think/talk about them as if they are an actual person.

By the end of all of this, you should know your main character as if they are an old friend.

Timing

Once you’ve nailed who your main character is, it’s time to think about when they are going to burst onto the scene.

The timing of the introduction is probably just as important as the introduction itself. The plotters out there will probably have a strong idea of when their MC is introduced; however, the pantsers may not.

Regardless of whether you do or do not know, you should always consider if you’ve chosen the right point in the story.

The most obvious tip I can give you is to make sure the introduction is early.

Of course, if you’ve chosen to write from first person POV, your MC is going to be introduced from the very first word. But if you’ve chosen third person POV, then you have the freedom (and risk) of starting the story wherever you damn well please, and that means your main character might not appear straight away.

That being said, typically, most main characters rock up in the first chapter or scene, and usually on the first page. And that’s because readers want to attach to someone relatable fairly quickly.

Don’t waste that need on some random side character for pages and pages, otherwise you will struggle to divert the reader’s attention onto your main character, let alone maintain it.

First person writers are not excluded from this mistake; consider whether any scenes from another character’s POV that precede the MC are serving their purpose.

Are they part of the setup for the payoff later on in the book? Is there information revealed that is important to know for the rest of the story? Would a lot change if you moved the scene to after the MC’s first one?

In one of my manuscripts, I chose to have a prologue before the first scene in which my FMC properly appeared. Prologues themselves are a contentious issue in the writing/reading community (and another topic for another day) so it was a risk.

But my reasoning was that in that prologue, FMC does appear as a baby who needs rescuing. And a lot of secretive information about her is revealed to the reader through the side character tasked with rescuing her.

So while the narrative followed her rescuer, as the FMC was part of the end goal for that side character, it meant that the readers wanted to see her safe and immediately developed an attachment to her. The prologue also mirrored a scene of FMC’s later on in the book. It covered the set-up for a pay-off and revealed important information about FMC, and therefore the prologue stayed.

Another tip regarding the timing of the introduction is to think about the overall flow of your story. What is happening in the plot at the time? Have you got action? Or are you setting the scene?

On the high chance that your main character’s introduction is at the beginning, you're most likely dealing with the inciting incident or the status quo before it all hits the fan.

If you’re starting with a packed inciting incident, can you tell the reader enough about your main character amidst all the action? Or would a small status quo scene beforehand be better?

The answer to this will come down to the type of person your MC is. Bravery and intelligence come across well in action scenes, but patience and humour generally don’t.

And if you’re setting the scene, does your main character’s day-to-day life hook the reader enough to keep going? Will they care about your main character if they are just popping to the shops for milk? What can you show about your MC from a scene like that? If readers think your main character is boring, they aren’t going to relate to, remember, or like said character.

Choose the introduction scene carefully, making sure the when and what is correct, and fitting for your MC. 

Show Don’t Tell

I know. This tip is a dime a dozen in writing, and nearly every author on earth has heard it. But it’s touted so often because it is so true. And never more so than with introducing your main character.

Readers, whether they admit it or not, are inherently stubborn. If you tell them something about a character and don’t back it up with substance, they will immediately go ‘pft, yeah right’.

You can tell the reader that your MC is a great cook until you’re blue in the face, but if you never show them cooking, or talking about food, or being praised by another character for their dishes, then you are wasting words because readers aren’t going to believe you.

You should also avoid telling the reader how to feel about your MC. The sentence ‘Steve is such a good guy and everyone likes him’ is not only a bland sentence in itself, but it’s also forcing feelings onto the reader by saying ‘hey you see this guy? You’re gonna like him!’

No one likes to be told how to feel about someone. Let your readers make up their own minds. If Steve is such a good guy, then prove it. Show him holding doors open for others, donating to charity, or saving someone from danger.

And what about what your main character looks like? As this is their introduction, you are likely to want to cement their description in your reader’s minds fairly quickly. And that makes sense; readers are more likely to latch onto someone they can visualise.

However, the key with physical descriptions is not to go overboard and to weave them subtly into the narrative. Don’t just give an entire paragraph of exposition. For the first person POV writers, please don’t do the infamous mirror scene. It’s been done to death and we don’t need your MC’s measurements.

Giving a few details is fine, especially if your MC has a unique physical feature.

Hair colour and eye colour are cornerstones of character introductions, but don’t state them outright. Both can be easily written into an action beat, such as ‘he narrowed his sharp green eyes’ or ‘she pulled her brunette hair back into a ponytail.’

You could try having your MC presented through another character. This does two things. It gives the reader a hint as to what the relationship between the side character and MC is like, based on the wording given about the MC. It also sets up an expectation of the main character, which works well if you have an MC that carries presence and is popular with others.

A little anticipation can certainly elevate your main character’s first impression.

In one of my manuscripts, I have my FMC describe the type of person my MMC is before we meet him.

This is because I wanted readers to know that MMC had a reputation that preceded him, as he is an intriguing and charismatic person. A man that people take note of.

He is also easy on the eyes; however, I chose to omit this from his first description as it was better to show this detail once we do meet him. And instead of going for the words ‘gorgeous’ or ‘handsome’, I instead had people flirting with him in passing and eyes following him around the room. I showed the reader his good looks.

I also made sure to confirm the details FMC had given about MMC, which not only delivered on the expectation of meeting the MMC, but also told the reader that FMC herself was a good judge of character.

In turn, I snuck in a description of FMC from MMC’s point of view, confirming what the reader already knew. Because he held good judgement too, but their relationship was a key point in the story, and them both giving an accurate description of the other showed that they did indeed know each other very well.

Essentially, you have to give evidence to the reader that your main character is all these things you say they are.

Personality

While physical details are obvious aspects of a character’s introduction, it really is their personality that your readers will attach to and carry forward into the story.

So how do you show your MC’s personality traits?

If they are intelligent, you could have them working something out quicker than those around them. If they are compassionate, you could show how they treat a stranger in need on the street.

Stubbornness could be shown through an unwillingness to compromise with other characters. Shyness can be portrayed through body language and minimal dialogue, but cringing internal thoughts.

If the introduction occurs during an action scene, how does your MC react to conflicts and stress? Are they a flight or a fight? Those who would rather run away would likely be hiding from the action, and those who would rather fight would likely be charging in.

One of my FMCs is introduced in an action scene which opens on a young woman screaming. Upon hearing the scream, FMC immediately drops whatever she is doing and hurries to the commotion. The reader then quickly finds out that the girl screaming is FMC’s best friend.

This shows us that FMC is loyal, empathic and brave. Her impulsive instinct to dive into danger without thought is something I pull through the rest of the story. She’s a fight and is willing to help without hesitation. And the reader knows this from the very first thing they see her do.

Are you introducing your MC during a quieter, ‘status quo’ type scene? How do they feel about their day-to-day life? Do they prefer their everyday routine or are they seeking something more? Ambitious main characters suit these types of scenes very well because you can show their thirst for success against the backdrop of the mundane.

If you’re dealing with a teenage MC, do they have a chip on their shoulder? Do they feel like a bit of an outcast or as if they are the only one experiencing what they are experiencing? Naivety and stubbornness are excellent traits to show if this is the case.

Don’t forget about your MC’s personality flaws. Are they messy? A klutz? Maybe they are rude? Showing these types of traits can be easy. A messy bedroom. A clonk with a coffee table. A lack of manners.

Be sure to show at least one flaw in your main character’s introduction. This adds to the roundness of the character and makes them more relatable to the reader. Because who can relate to a Perfect Pete, right?

And also consider if any of these flaws play a role in their struggles throughout the story. If so, this flaw is the one that’s best to demonstrate.

Putting your MC’s personality in the foreground ensures that readers can latch onto them quickly.

Relationships

Now, unless your main character is an absolute loner, they are bound to have someone in their life who is significant to them. This could be a sibling, a parent, a lover, a best friend, pretty much anyone as long as the bond between your MC and this side character is solid and something that your main character holds dear.

And when are you introducing this side character? Does the MC mention them in their introduction? Or do we not come across them until later?

The answer to these three questions will come down not only to who your main character is but also to who this side character is.

Either way, you don’t want to delay the first interaction between your MC and this side character. Their bond with others can tell a reader so much about your main character, and if that side character becomes key to the plot, then you definitely want to highlight that relationship as soon as possible.

Let’s say that your MC is a working-class citizen who has a fair few gripes about their life. They don’t really like their job and no matter how many hours they put in, they never seem to have any spare change. The one highlight of their day, however, is going to the bakery across the road, picking up a cheap sausage roll for breakfast, and seeing the baker’s daughter.

It would then make sense to have this main character’s introduction involve a trip to the bakery, where the reader can see them interacting with the baker’s daughter.

This would indicate to the reader how your MC feels about this character, how they interact with those they care about, and maybe most importantly, what it says about your main character.

Outside of characterisation itself, an introduction like this would also set up a ton of questions that readers will want answers to. Is the baker’s daughter as interested in MC? Or is she just being nice? Will they get together?

Questions turn pages, especially ones that centre around the happiness of a likeable main character.

On the other hand, your MC is also likely to have a character in the story that they dislike, or even hate. An enemy or a rival.

Depending on how vital this relationship is to the plot, you may want to consider whether you introduce your main character as they have a run-in with said enemy or rival.

Anger, competitiveness, and bitterness can bring out the best and worst in people, and in the case of fiction, it can provide juicy conflict instantly.

Be very careful if you choose to do this, as you don’t want readers to attach to the antagonist character by mistake. The best way to go about it is to start off with your MC going about an everyday task, or having them get themselves out of a situation, before having the enemy/rival come in to wreck the day.

Imagine your main character is a detective, and their introduction opens on them in a foot chase, which eventually results in them apprehending the suspect. This alone can demonstrate who the MC is and how they handle highly stressful situations. And in the mystery genre, readers will typically root for anyone trying to catch a suspect.

Then bam! A rival detective comes strolling in, claiming that as MC and suspect are now in their jurisdiction, the rival detective gets the arrest. This is bound to get your readers fired up, along with your main character.

Utilise that dislike and hatred to get the readers on your MC’s side.

If the relationship is important, no matter if it’s a good one or a bad one, contemplate whether it should make up part of your main character’s introduction. Those side characters have many uses!

Foreshadowing

Regardless of the genre you’re writing in, as an author, foreshadowing is your best friend. It tightens your plot, makes your story memorable and, if done extremely well, can blow your readers' minds.

Whether you are writing a standalone or a series, nearly all of your foreshadowing will be placed at the start of the story. As your main character’s introduction will probably be placed at the start also, it’s a good idea to sprinkle some foreshadowing into it.

This can be as small as a throwaway comment, all the way up to a great big flashing Chekhov’s gun.

If your MC is fairly observant, you can certainly get away with them noticing something seemingly banal that later turns out to be a massive giveaway as to who the traitor is.

Perhaps your main character has a valuable item in their possession, and without them knowing, this item could be the key to taking down the evil wizard.

Don’t dismiss your character’s personality traits; both their strengths and weaknesses can play a part in their goal and the struggles they face trying to reach that goal.

In one of my character’s introductions, I have them crossing a fairly high bridge while shaking and just trying to focus on getting across. You guessed it, they had an almighty fear of heights. And I could have left it there, with that fear being simply part of their character. The fear isn’t something that comes up regularly throughout most of the plot, due to the MC not being presented with a height.

But I decided to really put them through the wringer by having them pursue a serial killer to the roof of a ten-storey building in the finale. This call-back to the strong emotion of fear from their introduction really ramped up the tension as the reader is left wondering whether the main character is actually going to succeed in stopping this killer.

Tying that personality into future plot points is a great way to raise stakes and have your reader’s hearts in their mouths.

A counterpart to foreshadowing is questions. As I said above, questions turn pages. Readers love a question because they usually like to try to work out the answer before you give it to them, or at least before the main character gets there.

Think about the questions you can leave in your MC’s introduction. Do they have a secret? Or is there a secret that is being kept from them? Has something happened in their past that they don’t like to think/talk about? Have they just met a person of interest? Do they suspect someone who is supposed to be an ally of betrayal?

Another of my main characters has a secret power that only some of her friends know about when the reader meets her. She’s terrified of anyone finding out about this power due to the nature of how people with powers are treated in her world.

This leaves the reader asking a few questions, such as: Will she ever open up to those friends? Are they going to find out by themselves? Are they going to turn against her if they do find out?

Those questions not only aid in keeping the reader invested, but help with the set-up for when, later on, one of those friends does indeed find out.

Layering your main character’s introduction with some foreshadowing will ensure that they are memorable to your reader.

You want them to exclaim ‘OH’ at the end when everything comes together, and this will be a very satisfying ‘OH’ if that foreshadowing was there from the minute they met the MC.

The Kitchen Sink

By this point you’re probably reeling, thinking how are you going to employ all these techniques into one introduction? I’m here to tell you that you’re not.

If you were to write every single tip I’ve given into your main character’s introduction, it would become very messy and cluttered quite quickly. That’s the last impression you want your MC to leave on the reader.

As a writer, you know your main character best, and it’s up to you to use that writerly judgement to identify which of the above tips would be best fitting for your MC.

It all depends on what you want to show about them straight away and the type of person you’ve determined them to be.

The power of three is a good rule of thumb here.

Choose three tricks that are most fitting for your main character and use them for their introduction.

As an example, I have a manuscript that opens on both MCs doing some admin work together. I wanted to highlight their relationship with one another, foreshadow a conflict as to why their friendship is not agreeable to others, and show their witty nature as banter flies.

Three things that ensure the reader is left liking them, relating to them, and remembering them. Which, of course, is another powerful group of three!

Keep these tips in mind as you’re planning or writing that introduction, but don’t go throwing everything in. Leave the kitchen sink out.

All the above should give you the confidence to go into your main character’s introduction knowing that it is going to be sharp, impactful, and one that will have your readers wanting to root for your MC’s story/journey.

If you feel stuck on where to turn with your main character, then I do offer beta reading services which can help you identify where you need to improve, as well as where you’ve hit the nail on the head. I am detailed, honest, and efficient, and always willing to help authors get to publishing day.

Check out my packages here and get in touch! Don’t forget to check my discount page here, in case I’m currently running a discount that you can grab to save some money.

If you have any quick questions, you can contact me. I’m always here to help.

Give that MC the introduction they deserve and happy writing!

Sasha Lysette x