Jessica Russell's Blog - Posts Tagged "characters"
The Likability Factor
Do you really have to like people? Well, that’s a loaded question. some days I like animals more than people. Anyway, almost every editor in the world tells you that the characters in your book have to be “likable” or your novel might be DOA. Maybe I’m in a minuscule minority, but I never really got all that hung up on whether or not a character was likable, as long as the character was REAL. Overall, though, you do need likable characters in your novel for the sole purpose of making sure the reader cares enough about them to want to know what happens. If they don’t, they may not finish the book.
For example, a friend of mine read a book recently by a well-known romance author who at one time came up with some really good stories, but whose work has gotten very repetitive the last decade or so. And I’m not picking on anybody, because will all be there one day: either using a ghostwriter or just churning them out to make the next check. (Or what I plan to do… Retire before I get either of those points. LOL)
But anyway, when I say repetitive, I mean repetitive. At one point, I had to take a look at the book just to see if it was as bad as my friend told me. I counted the same point reiterated 44 times in 50 pages. That’s just bad writing, pure and simple. The heroine was downright irritating. She started out as a strong, independent, intelligent woman and then in the end, couldn’t figure out whether or not to leave a man who was mentally and physically abusive… because, well…she loved him. UGH.
Yeah, that’s gonna make a lot of modern women angry and make them want to throw the book over their shoulder. So, there’s a lot to be said for the likability factor. If the character is so annoying that the reader doesn’t care what happens to her/him, then clearly you are at risk of the reader not finishing the book. If you are going to make a character annoying because you’re just going for “real” as opposed to “oh, I really love this person” give the reader a FEW attributes that he or she can like or relate to. Even villains and screw ups can be lovable if you create them the right way.
So, yes, likability is important and you should find a way to do it somehow, and if you’re leading character is not so noble, put another character in the book that readers can root for. Either way, don’t make the leading character so annoying that people stop reading or you hear the dreaded “so what?” when they’re finished. Write on!
For example, a friend of mine read a book recently by a well-known romance author who at one time came up with some really good stories, but whose work has gotten very repetitive the last decade or so. And I’m not picking on anybody, because will all be there one day: either using a ghostwriter or just churning them out to make the next check. (Or what I plan to do… Retire before I get either of those points. LOL)
But anyway, when I say repetitive, I mean repetitive. At one point, I had to take a look at the book just to see if it was as bad as my friend told me. I counted the same point reiterated 44 times in 50 pages. That’s just bad writing, pure and simple. The heroine was downright irritating. She started out as a strong, independent, intelligent woman and then in the end, couldn’t figure out whether or not to leave a man who was mentally and physically abusive… because, well…she loved him. UGH.
Yeah, that’s gonna make a lot of modern women angry and make them want to throw the book over their shoulder. So, there’s a lot to be said for the likability factor. If the character is so annoying that the reader doesn’t care what happens to her/him, then clearly you are at risk of the reader not finishing the book. If you are going to make a character annoying because you’re just going for “real” as opposed to “oh, I really love this person” give the reader a FEW attributes that he or she can like or relate to. Even villains and screw ups can be lovable if you create them the right way.
So, yes, likability is important and you should find a way to do it somehow, and if you’re leading character is not so noble, put another character in the book that readers can root for. Either way, don’t make the leading character so annoying that people stop reading or you hear the dreaded “so what?” when they’re finished. Write on!
If You Confuse Them, You Lose Them
A common mistake made by many writers is allowing characters to step OUT of character. Whether it’s a book, a film, a play, or any other creative work, if it involves characters, they need to be consistent.
A well-known author who wrote many good books in the past has recently begun irritating her readers by turning out novels in which the characters start out one way, but along the line morph into something completely different.
I won’t say the author’s name, but the pattern has been quite repetitive of late: the leading character starts out as a strong, independent, intelligent woman who knows her own mind, but after meeting a man– a man who is not even all that likable – she becomes…well…a ditz. She becomes a woman who has no self-confidence, who is emotionally lost and unable to make up her mind about the smallest things and does not seem to realize that if a man is abusive, she should probably leave the relationship. WHAT?
In real life, people don’t suddenly lose IQ points or undergo a complete metamorphosis of personality after a few dates with a new man. When you change characters that radically, you greatly annoy your readers, and your book is at risk for the dreaded DNF. (Did Not Finish…as in did not finish the book.)
Character development is one of the most important aspects of writing a good novel, so pay very close attention to exactly who your character is and what is in line with his or her personality. It’s not that you can’t make someone in your novel do something that’s uncharacteristic for him or her, but you need to explain why it happened in some kind of way.
However, if you confuse your readers with too much uncharacteristic behavior, and they don’t know who the person is anymore, they probably won’t care what happens to him or her, and that is the kiss of death when you want them to continue with the story.
Ask yourself this as you go along: “is that what (fill in your character’s name) would really say or do?” If it seems out of line with the personality you've given him or her, scrap that part and start over. Consistency is key where characters are concerned! Write on!
A well-known author who wrote many good books in the past has recently begun irritating her readers by turning out novels in which the characters start out one way, but along the line morph into something completely different.
I won’t say the author’s name, but the pattern has been quite repetitive of late: the leading character starts out as a strong, independent, intelligent woman who knows her own mind, but after meeting a man– a man who is not even all that likable – she becomes…well…a ditz. She becomes a woman who has no self-confidence, who is emotionally lost and unable to make up her mind about the smallest things and does not seem to realize that if a man is abusive, she should probably leave the relationship. WHAT?
In real life, people don’t suddenly lose IQ points or undergo a complete metamorphosis of personality after a few dates with a new man. When you change characters that radically, you greatly annoy your readers, and your book is at risk for the dreaded DNF. (Did Not Finish…as in did not finish the book.)
Character development is one of the most important aspects of writing a good novel, so pay very close attention to exactly who your character is and what is in line with his or her personality. It’s not that you can’t make someone in your novel do something that’s uncharacteristic for him or her, but you need to explain why it happened in some kind of way.
However, if you confuse your readers with too much uncharacteristic behavior, and they don’t know who the person is anymore, they probably won’t care what happens to him or her, and that is the kiss of death when you want them to continue with the story.
Ask yourself this as you go along: “is that what (fill in your character’s name) would really say or do?” If it seems out of line with the personality you've given him or her, scrap that part and start over. Consistency is key where characters are concerned! Write on!
