Interesting characters that readers care about are the most important 'ingredients' in your novel.
That might sound like a fairly sweeping statement, but think about it.
You can have a wonderful plot with twists and turns and a humdinger of a surprise ending... but if the reader doesn't believe in your characters, all that plotting has gone to waste.
You can have a setting that seems so vivid you could imagine walking into it... but if the reader is bored by your characters, you might as well have not described the setting at all.
Characters are all important. To identify with them, the reader must believe in them. The reader must like them (at least the main character) - otherwise, why bother reading about them?
TIPS ON CREATING CHARACTERS READERS CARE ABOUT
1. You have to get inside the character's skin.
Why? The reader 'becomes' the main character. What happens to that character happens to the reader. If she is cold, the reader is cold. If she is in despair, the reader feels that heavy weight of hopelessness. If she is scared, the reader looks over his shoulder. A common problem with beginning writers' manuscripts is that the story is told 'from a distance' - it's as though someone is looking on, rather than being in the scene and experiencing everything for herself.
2. You must have the main character stay 'in character'.
Don't let her do something foolish just because you need to get her into a sticky situation to suit the plot. Don't let her suddenly become 'helpless' just so someone else can rescue her. The same applies in reverse: don't let her suddenly start taking incomprehensible risks if you have shown her thus far to be sensible and moderate.
3. You need to give your characters a backstory.
Your characters should not appear as though they've sprung fully formed into the world. Our life experiences leave their mark on us all - it's the same with your characters. Take the time to sit and think about your character: build a profile on paper if you think that will help.
What were the key experiences in this person's life? What was the worst thing that ever happened to her? What was the best thing? How would she react if physically attacked? How would she react if verbally attacked? What was her childhood like? What were her parents like? What are her politics? When you really know your characters, their actions and words will flow far more eaily from your brain to the page (or screen!).
4. You must think carefully about your characters' names.
The number one rule: try to avoid having two characters with names that look similar on the page. Laura and Linda. Brendan and Ben. Nick and Mick. The reader can easily get confused.
The number two rule: choose names that are appropriate for the generation into which your character was born. Many new children's writers use names that are thirty years out of date. Think about the people you know of different ages. What are their names? What are their friends' names?
The number three rule: Choose names that suit the character. The reader can be totally turned off if you (for example) use an ugly name for a beautiful girl - unless this is relevant to the story, such as someone being teased unmercifully throughout her childhood because of an ugly name, so she still bears the mental scars when the story opens.
A FINAL TIP:
When you finish a book with a sense of regret because you don't want to leave well-liked characters behind, put on your writer's hat. Why did these characters appeal so much? Can you identify any techniques the writer has used? (Think about how the writer has appealed to the emotions of the reader - this is usually the key to strong identification with characters.)
(c) copyright Marg McAlister
Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/
same day cleaning service Des Plaines ..Most writers are familiar with first and third points of... Read More
Picture this scene.Your hero is sitting in a bar. He's... Read More
A frequent conversation I have with my writing clients is... Read More
Whether you are writing a magazine article, composing a press... Read More
Congratulations on writing your first book. That is quite an... Read More
There's a little known secret we writers like to keep... Read More
Hundreds of writing contests tempt screenwriters with the lure of... Read More
(excerpted from the "How to Use a Journal" audio series... Read More
Hands up all those who'd like to have a successful... Read More
"Do I send samples, a media kit, or just the... Read More
Many of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies require writing.... Read More
Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of... Read More
In most aspects of business, we will be expected to... Read More
Set your journal or diary where you will see it... Read More
Want to write your book? But, need a blueprint on... Read More
Have you ever wondered why some people can make millions... Read More
You wrote a tips booklet. Maybe more than one. Oh... Read More
Writers are often are greatly surprised or disappointed by how... Read More
My article this issue is an excerpt from a book... Read More
Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More
Based on the feedback that I have been getting from... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
You've finished your story, and you're pretty happy with it.... Read More
Business etiquette is fundamentally concerned with building relationships founded upon... Read More
More Tips For New Writers (Part I)Explain in your own... Read More
home cleaning services Mundelein ..There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate... Read More
Have you given up on getting your book out of... Read More
Writers often get stuck because they make assumptions about writing,... Read More
In my ten years as an advertiser, I've encountered plenty... Read More
First drafts are for getting down the ideas. Anna Jacobs... Read More
My dad was wrong. I just discovered that I am... Read More
These 8 tips on using characters in your stories will... Read More
As a child, I loved to write. I can't remember... Read More
Concision. (Sounds like I made up another word.) It's the... Read More
A few magazines refer to their written idea sources in... Read More
A good white paper is a paper that makes you... Read More
If you are reading this article then you probably have... Read More
Many of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies require writing.... Read More
You send me an e-mail. You tell me you've written... Read More
The creativity of Jaisini is not designed to be preaching... Read More
A book coaching client recently emailed me that she was... Read More
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More
Characters in a good novel really carry the story along... Read More
There are various forms of structure, including frameworks, work processes... Read More
All writers should use a plan whether written or reflected.... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
Names are important. Names give clues about us, where we... Read More
Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that... Read More
The urge to write fiction seems God given for some,... Read More
If you haven't realized the success you wanted last year,... Read More
Writing |