Characters=IMPORTANT!!!

Has anyone noticed that in books, characters are what makes the book interesting? Whether it's a person or a things, the characters matter to a high extent. There's the protagonist, which isn't necessarily the "good" guy. Up until a few months ago, I thought that's what the protagonist was. But really, it's just the main character whose actions are followed throughout the book. So, for instance, imagine J.K. Rowling followed Voldemort's actions throughout the Harry Potter series. Imagine how completely and utterly different the books would be! Harry Potter is the protagonist in our reality, but if Voldemort's actions were followed instead of Harry's, VOLDEMORT would be he protagonist. Weird thought, huh? Well, I'll stop babbling and try to get to the point. Now the antagonist isn't just the "bad" guy, either. This is the character that forces the protagonist (AKA the main character) to act. Just think about it. In every movie you've watched and every book you've read, the antagonist (most of the time a villain) does something that causes the main character to go on some big adventure or do SOMETHING big. I don't know about you, but I never really thought about that before. I just accepted the fact that it was the way things went in every book: Something big happens (the first event in a series of complicating events), there's this whole adventure (whether or not it's an actual adventure like Percy Jackson), and often the end of the book leaves a lead to another book in the series or two people fall in love. Lots of books are like that, and it may seem ridiculous. But that's just the way plots were made to be. And authors try to do anything they can to make THEIR book as interesting as possible to spice up the original plot diagram. Now I'm really getting off-topic, so I'll talk about characters now. Making good characters can be REALLY hard. It sure is hard for me. It sounds ridiculous, but something I have trouble with is coming up with names for my characters. In the book I wrote, the main characters name is Daphne Willowston. I love her last name, and it's a shame that I don't remember how I came up with it. I love it when I find the perfect name for my character, because when you do, it seems to speak about them and expresses every little detail even if you aren't sure exactly what your own character looks like. The name speaks for it, so you don't really have to worry about it. When a name speaks for the character, it gives an idea about who the character is but often leaves their physical appearance open for interpretation in the reader's mind. I have a character named Vee, who has icy blue eyes and black hair and pale skin, and my Mom saw her as African-American. You can never really force an image in a anyone's mind, especially if the reader likes to imagine their own way. Secondly: you need to get to know your characters. I read a book called "Spilling Ink" a few weeks ago, and I discovered a very useful tip. It's a bit mad, but it helps me sort out my characters' ambitions and feelings. What you do: sit down at one end of your bed. Pretend one of your characters is sitting across from you, like you were sharing gummy worms and gossip about the latest...whatever. Now, interview your character. Talk to them. Don't say I didn't warn you that this might look utterly crazy if your brother or sister walks in and wonders what the heck you are doing. Ask your character questions about their childhood, what they want most in the world, who their best friend is, their deepest secret, their favorites foods and books and music, who their crush is, etc. Give them time to reply. Keep asking questions until you feel you could write a brief biography about them. You don't want to get your characters in the wrong place by the end of your book and have them speechless (AKA writer's block) because you didn't know their heart's desire. Trust me, if you just listen, they will reply. And to make sure your characters never get old or unlike themselves, keep revealing new things about them. Make minor (or major) characters that compliment their personality. Say you have a character that's scared of snakes, #1. Say you have another character that loves snakes, #2. They compliment each other, because #2 can save and comfort #1 about snakes. If you have characters like that, it will keep your reader's interested in the characters because they will want to keep seeing dramatic things like that. If that makes any sense. I might be talking crazy. All I know is that your characters need to be interesting. MAKE them interesting. YOU are their creator. Make one character have an infatuation with anything banana-flavored. Have one character that is a professional tree-climber. A character whose life depends on the fragile life of a single fish. You get the point. If necessary, make your characters as WEIRD, and as FUNNY and SARCASTIC as possible. That's what can make dialogue and interactions between characters interesting and engaging. Now go ask your character their favorite color!