Judy > Status Update

To me, it means they didn't feel quite real to me. Didn't have enough depth or importance. Not entirely relatable. I guess it means a lot of things! Good question :)

Allie wrote: "To me, it means they didn't feel quite real to me. Didn't have enough depth or importance. Not entirely relatable. I guess it means a lot of things! Good question :)"

Good answer. Thank you Allie!

To me it means the reader could not empathize with the character or understand the character's motivations. Even if I do not like a character, if I can understand the reasons for that character's actions or behavior, I can connect. Or if the character is drawn vividly enough and I am intrigued and have to puzzle through his/her psychology to see what impulses are at work, my interest may be piqued and I may be drawn in. Depth and complexity seem to be the key.

Rosemary wrote: "To me it means the reader could not empathize with the character or understand the character's motivations. Even if I do not like a character, if I can understand the reasons for that character's a..."

Another good answer! I think you are talking about characters who are fleshed out, what they call "well rounded" in writing classes. And who are not cliches but individuals.

Yes, that is true for me. When I was a less sophisticated reader, I did not try to understand characters I disliked or those who were "bad." As I have matured and see things in less black and white terms, I have come to realize all human beings have reasons for doing what they do, whether or not I understand or approve of them. They may be conflicted, they may be acting under duress, they may be naive, they may lack some quality necessary to get on with the life they want and not know what to do, they may feel guilty or sorry about something they've done, or they may may not care at all. If the writer can convey the character's situation, however subtly, and make me see what elements are at work in shaping the person's behavior (and now this is a person to me), I can appreciate how this person acts within the circumstances of the plot. I may think the person is a heroine or a twit or a victim of circumstance but I get an insight into someone else's way of being.

Rosemary wrote: "Yes, that is true for me. When I was a less sophisticated reader, I did not try to understand characters I disliked or those who were "bad." As I have matured and see things in less black and white..."

Very well said. I wish you could give a talk to some of my reading group members!

Thanks for participating!