Thread: Character development.

Anybody have any suggestions on how I can make the reader feel more... connected... with my characters? I would like my characters to be people that readers can relate to instead of being just words on paper.

Another problem I'm having is establishing character personality. They seem so... duel.

It would help if you gave us a specific example - a short snippet where you feel your characters are "just words on paper."

An example would be nice. I've found that the best connection a fantasy novel's characters have made with me was when they either had:

Backstory. Or sidestories. Something to add depth and allow extra development.

Romance, which can lead to other things, and allows you to see more 'into' the character

Dreams. Showing what their fears and dreams are through their subconscious (I get shown things i didn't realize all the times in my dreams...)

Conversations. In depth, even off topic, conversations between characters can strengthen the bond between them, as well as the reader, by providing emotion, intelligence, and 'feel', to the characters.

That's all I could come up with on the spot...hope that helps? This is an important subject...I'mma blog about it sometime methinks...

In order for a reader to understand your characters, you need to yourself. It might help you to fill in a character profile sheet to use as reference while you're writing. You can google it and tons of them will pop up, all you need to do is find one you like.

It's also very important to show your character growing and changing over time, especially with a series as long as the one you've posted about before.

Hi

This is what I have done:

1. A past that is not too difficult for readers to relate (e.g. ex-convict, ex-military or some tragic loss of loved one) and this past influences his way of life; his needs, his thoughts and goals
2. A personality that readers love to hate, admire or can't live without (e.g. sarcastic, direct, impulsive, soft spot for children etc)
3. Personal likes or dislikes to the point of a little childish (e.g can't live with cheeseburger, constantly go for black coffee, no sugar, no milk, can't tolerate loud-mouth people etc)

Also bear in mind there's all types of readers out there. So we need to decide which readers we want to attract and entertain...

I reckon if the character is vivid in your head it will come out in the writing. Don't try to cram it all in the first chapter, allow the development to go slowly, keep the reader curious...

A bit of comedy doesn't go amiss either. Opposites attract, and not just romantically either. One character could be a brutish as they come and another a hopeless romantic. In what way could they comically communicate with each other?

Get to know them yourself. There are a thousand things that have happened in your own life that defines you. Happy things, sad things, trauma, joy, all those things that shape the things you decide when you make a decision. Most of them very few people will ever know besides you. So here is one thing I do to help me. I spend some time hashing out my character. I start with where we find them in the story, and work through their lives going over the things that got them where they were, important points in their life, and things that make them who they are. After you are done, you will find your character flows smoother, and will get more of the connection you are looking for. I discovered this when working on a short story several years ago. I had a secondary character I needed to help the main character...the story wasn't that great, but when people read it, they all were not real impressed with the main character, but each one of them liked the secondary character. He, they connected with.

All these details are not for the reader, they are for you. Sometimes when doing all the background for a story the author feels obligated to shove it all on the reader since they put so much effort into it. We, the author, need to know hundreds of times more information about the world, the characters, the things going on than the reader will ever read. If we don't have all that information then when we write, the stories are more flat, and lack the depth they deserve. When we know all about the place and characters then our writing takes on that depth naturally, and it is more real to the reader.