by Mary HickeyMany of us subscribe to the Writer’s Digest email list, and so receive notifications now and then about e-courses on character development for our writing. They include conflicts the main character must resolve, including ones within him or herself, what that character wants and what is standing in the way. These concepts matter, but to me the most important thing is creating characters that readers care about. The main character must be sympathetic enough that readers root for him or her to achieve or acquire what they want. But they still must have flaws, so they don’t appear to be a superhero, unbound from mere human existence. Other characters can be likable and sympathetic as long as they don’t upstage or eclipse the main character. There can even be a villain for readers to boo and hiss! That’s a form of caring, too, even if it’s the dark side of it. The author must develop the villain’s character sufficiently for the reader to understand at least in part why they’re so opposed to the main character and what he or she wants. Otherwise, the villain is only a cardboard cutout, a cackling demonic type like Wile E. Coyote. A better cartoon villain is Yogi Bear’s nemesis Mr. Ranger, who it’s clear is mainly trying to do his job. If Yogi would catch fish and eat berries and bark like normal bears, Mr. Ranger would leave him alone, but Yogi really, truly wants those picnic baskets full of yummy people-food instead! A few possible spoilers here if you haven’t yet read For Love of Emmaline, so you might want to read no further if you’re planning to read it but haven’t yet: Darlene Schultz’s three-book Amish series For the Love of Emmaline provides a good example of characters we care about. Emmaline herself wants to follow her heart and love Michael, but her family disapproves, and so does Michael’s mother. Michael himself has to resolve the difference between his former life and the one he now wants to embrace instead. Emmaline’s own family have good and loving reasons for their caution and concern, but Michael’s mom evokes our boos and hisses as she tries to sabotage their relationship. Emmaline’s suitor Robert isn’t the hot prospect her family believes him to be, and as he shows his true colors, the characters who truly care for Emmaline all come around. In conclusion, I’ll say first, get to know your characters. Then, help your readers get to know them and care about them. That will make them root for the good folks to have a happy ending, as they do in the Emmaline series, and be happy for them when they do.
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