Writing a Team Readers Will Love

The Avengers. Power Rangers. The ninjas from Ninjago. Justice League. The characters from Rick Riordan books, the Narnia Chronicles, and Redwall series. People love teams. They love to root for them, to watch them go through struggles, and come out stronger on the other side. But how do we write a team like that? A team people will follow basically no matter what? That's what we're going to be discussing today.

Start with characters

All of the teams I mentioned above are popular because of the characters. Without strong, well developed characters, your team will probably be a flop. So even before you work on putting your team together, take time to build up your characters. Even if most of what you figure out never makes it to the page, the readers will still be able to tell the depth behind the character and love them.

Limit the amount

Just because Marvel can bring together over 70 characters in one movie, or Rick Riordan can combine two worlds of demigods, does not mean you can do that. You need to stick to a manageable number for your team, remembering that the more characters you add, the less time on page they all get. I'd suggest a nice uneven number like five or seven, because those sorts of numbers are more pleasing to the eye and they make for a good amount.

Add in the conflict

Neither the Avengers movies or the Heroes of Olympus series would be anything without the conflict. In fact, most teams go through problems, and that's what makes them powerful. Conflict, in this sense, is not from external forces. It's between the people on the team. And it is the best part.

Once you've formed your team and gotten them all together, the first thing to do is try to break them apart through conflict with one another. They have to learn to get along and figure out who's gonna lead them (sorry, Hamilton reference) before they can really take on the bad guys. If they get together, agree on everything, and go out and win the day, readers will yawn. That's no fun. We need to see them fight, and the story and characters will be better for it.

Show their relationships

All teams member have a relationship with one another, but they also form special bonds with certain other characters, or rivalries. Look at the ninjas from Ninjago. They all have a family like bond, but Kai and Nia are actually family, and Jay likes Nia. Jay and Cole always fight, but they're there for each other in the end. Kai and Lloyd have a special brotherly bond and Zane is always working to fit in. Show us how these characters relate to one another, and sometimes to outsiders, and readers will get even more attached.

Make them vulnerable

Ah, the best part of any team. The vulnerability they have. Whether that's physically, emotionally, situational, it's what really shows what the team is made of. When they're weak, yet they come together and stand up against the bad guys anyway, people will love them.

I think that's one of the problems with the DC universe. Those characters are all strong and practically unkillable. It makes it much harder to be afraid for them, and thus make them vulnerable. The Avengers on the other hand, are a lot of fairly normal people. Even Captain America with his abilities can be badly hurt, like in The Winter Soldier. Or Spider-man in his awesome movie. Make your characters able to be hurt on some level and it will help readers connect.

Add in new variables

If your team is starting to get placid, time to throw something new at them. Maybe some new characters (like in Power Rangers or Age of Ultron) or a new situation (like in the Heroes of Olympus). Keep your team on their toes, don't let them stagnate. Even the most loved team can fall out of favor it that happens. Always find new ways to test them and push at their weak points.

Let's talk! What tips do you have to write a great team? Do you have a favorite team? Tell me in the comments.

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