Have you ever gotten side-tracked in the midst of a climactic scene? Say your Hero is just about to charge into battle, or the Heroine is finally going to open that forbidden door, and a side character pops in to play a partial/ important/ crucial role, and then suddenly you’re off, writing their backstory, romping through their history and quirks, and discovering what their dreams in life are.
If this phenomenon sounds familiar, then welcome! Continue reading
Let’s do one of those little exercises you might expect to do at a psychologist’s office. Don’t worry, we won’t go too far back into your childhood or keep asking you “why do you think that is?”. I want you to think back to someone you’ve been attracted to at one point in your life.
Why were you attracted to begin with? Was it her status in the corporate world, his personality, the way she made you laugh, or his aura of mystery?
Someone worth spending time with pulls you in. They’re interesting.
For different reasons, albeit, but if s/he doesn’t interest you, that person is doomed to the inescapable dreaded pit we call the friend zone. Readers have a similar relationship with the protagonist in a book.
Sure magical lands, mythical creatures, or witty dialog can intrigue us, but story ultimately centers on people. If the protagonist can’t pull you in, it’s time to say “bye bye Felisha”.
So what to do about the predicament of your protagonist?
How do you prove to your reader your protagonist is worth reading about? First things first…
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They have a way of weaseling their way into our hearts.
After the years have passed and the details blurred, the thing that remains is our relationship with people.
That’s the magic in reading a book. We spend time getting to know characters and in turn, they let us into their lives.
Creating lovable characters is no easy task. There’s no set formula. There are, however, tools that can help. Here are four tools you can use to develop your characters.
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The Spinning Pen 