Be Brave, Be Fair, Do Good Work

I wasn't going to blog today, but I saw a topic on agent Nat Bransford's forums that intrigued me. Someone asked about what makes a person good. Of course, just defining the word "good" could involve a whole lot of disagreement - but to me whether you're talking about a real person or a fictional character, it all boils down to the title of this post.

Be Brave, Be Fair, Do Good Work.

An interesting character will at least strive for two of these. A less interesting character can at least be redeemed by just one (especially if they achieve it in spite of obstacles).

Waging an effective struggle to be courageous, fair and competent makes a character worthy. It's not necessary to fully succeed, and certainly not necessary to easily succeed, but with an honest and earnest drive to achieve those three things, you don't really need anything else.