Any writer or reader knows that character development is critical. You can have the greatest plot in the world, but if the story is filled with bland or unlikable characters, no one will be interested in it. In order to turn words on a page or screen into real people, attention must be paid to a character's personality, history, the way they talk, the way they interact with others and the way they deal with certain situations. Without all of that, you wind up with cardboard people.

But character development does not end there. Using my latest novel "Sea Raptor" as an example, in 250-plus pages we learn many important aspects about the main protagonist, Jack Rastun. He is intelligent, tough, honorable, resourceful, confident and does not think twice about putting his life on the line to save others. Pretty much what you'd expect in an action hero.

But no hero faces danger every minute of every day. No hero spends all their time honing their combat skills or reading about every potential threat in the world. Keeping a cryptozoological expedition safe from monsters, poachers and other threats is Jack Rastun's job. But let's look at our own lives. Does everything you do revolve around your job? I believe you and most other people would say no. So why should Rastun be any different?

Most of us have hobbies or interests separate from our jobs. For me, it's going to rock/metal concerts, collecting t-shirts and ballcaps, and learning about history. Fictional characters should also have hobbies and interests in order to make them fully fleshed out. Not only that, but it gives the reader a way to relate more with that character. Not many people know what it's like to be an Army Ranger like Jack Rastun. A lot of us, however, know what it's like to be a baseball fan. With a reference to Ryan Howard, as well as growing up in Philadelphia, we see that Rastun is a big Phillies fan, right down to the Phillies boxer shorts he wears in one scene. Now a lot of readers can see something they have in common with this hero. A love of baseball, or a love of sports in general.

But it doesn't have to end there. Most people like music. A monster-hunting hero shouldn't be any different. In one scene in "Sea Raptor," Rastun gets a call on his cell. It easy enough to say, "Rastun's cell phone rang." But this can be a great opportunity to flesh out his character a bit more. So I wrote that his ringtone was Iron Maiden's classic song, "The Trooper." Now we know in addition to being a huge Phillies fan, Rastun is also a metalhead.

Next we come to what I feel is one of Rastun's most unique aspects. With his parents working in leadership positions at the Philadelphia Zoo, he had the opportunity to learn a lot about the animal kingdom. This is an area of expertise you don't see with very many action heroes. In "Sea Raptor," what was simply an area of interest for Rastun outside his career in the Army ends up playing a critical role in his search for the sea monster terrorizing the Jersey Shore. Plus, how many of us are animal lovers? How many of us enjoy excursions to the zoo? How many of us start filming or snapping pictures when a deer or javelina or even a bear pop up into your yard? Now you have an action hero who shares your love of animals in Jack Rastun.

Examples of doing little things to make characters relatable to their fans can be found in many books and TV shows. In Leslie Charteris's series "The Saint," his iconic character, Simon Templar, in addition to battling evildoers, is a lover of poetry. Tony DiNozzo of "NCIS" is a huge movie buff and makes references to various films in nearly every episode. Who out there doesn't like a good movie or throws out a quote from a film when the situation calls for it?

It doesn't take much, just a sentence or two to make a character more well-rounded. What's the ringtone on his cell phone? What sports team or band logo do they have on their t-shirt? What's the cover photo on their Facebook page? It all helps the reader see a character, even one who is a former Army Ranger that hunts monsters for a living, as a real person.

-- John J. Rust is sports director of radio station KYCA in Arizona and the author of "Sea Raptor," available at www.amazon.com/Sea-Raptor-John-J-Rust... . Follow John on Facebook at www.facebook.com/johnjrustauthor .