Writing relatable and intriguing characters that your audience cares about can be quite challenging. Here are some of the book writing tips for creating interesting characters in your story that readers can’t help but root for.
There are likely millions of fiction books published each year, but only a select few have what it takes to truly captivate readers with clever storylines and intriguing characters. To create a story worth remembering and worth sharing with others, there are certain elements you must have. And that all starts with your book’s main characters.
In this guide, we’re going to look at what makes an audience invest and care about the arc and resolution of the character they are reading about. We’ll break down some of the best tips that all the top fiction writers use in their own work. Here’s everything you need to know.
Create interesting and relatable characters
Understand Human Empathy & Sympathy
Most of the time our empathy or sympathy comes from us putting ourselves in the position of someone else’s tragedy or circumstances. The more you can do to make it easier for your readers to relate to a character’s struggles, the better it is.
Tell the story of your character in a way that draws an empathetic feeling early and will get them to root for them in turning their lives around, and making things better for those around them. Fiction writing will often highlight the best of people within these characters and our struggle to always do the right thing.
Conveying your character’s efforts to be morally good, despite their situation is always a strong approach. And, by understanding how your readers sympathize and emphasize with others, you should have an idea of what type of character you will need to create, for people to care about them.
Let Them Make Mistakes
When it comes to creating characters that people really care about, one trick is to let them make mistakes. Think about it – nobody’s perfect, and if your characters are too flawless and never mess up, they won’t seem real or relatable. But if they do mess up, and have to deal with the consequences of their actions, it makes them seem more human, and easier for readers or viewers to connect with.
Another thing to keep in mind is that characters should have flaws. It could be something as small as being forgetful or easily distracted, or as big as having a temper or being too self-centered. These flaws make characters much more interesting to the reader. Be sure to give them room to grow and change over the course of your story. Just be careful not to make their flaws too over-the-top, or your audience might not take them seriously either.
The key is to create characters that have both strengths and weaknesses. So, readers or viewers can root for them when they succeed but also sympathize when they fail or struggle. Giving them a platform to make mistakes in a meaningful way can do a lot to balance your characters.
Clear Goals and Motivations
Writing a character with clear motivations and goals allows the audience to better understand their nature and what they hope to achieve. Not only does it make your characters more relatable and engaging, but it also helps to develop your plot. Giving characters a clear direction and purpose makes their actions more meaningful and deliberate, rather than just being reactive.
For each character to pursue their biggest goals, they will want to have some type of motivation that drives them. Now, this can anything from a trauma-filled origin story to simply wanting to make the world a better place but for their efforts to make sense, you will need to determine what their driving factor could be.
One thing to keep in mind is that goals and motivations can change over time. Just as real people might change their priorities or view on things as they grow and develop, so too can your characters. Understanding this can add a layer of complexity and depth to your story, and make the characters feel even more human and relatable.
Unique Selling Point
This term is normally used in business but it fits well here. What is unique about each of your characters that they haven’t seen before in other books and movies? Whether it is some kind of power or even an affliction, readers will be more fascinated with a character unlike any other or in a unique position that results in a fresh
This can, and will, force you to get specific about your character in certain areas. While you might think that keeping them as vague as possible will allow more people to relate, the opposite happens. Even if you plan on writing about the most abstract personality with the most unusual occupation, the amount of energy and passion they put into their interests is where you’ll find common ground with your audience.
Will want to see how these unique elements either help or hinder their adventure and overall character arc. Also intriguing to see how they interact with some of the other characters you have in your narrative.