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| Characters are the secret recipe at the heart of every novel |
Even if you think you’re not writing a character driven novel, it still all starts with character. Even the greatest premise in the world can fall flat if readers don’t have a main character they want to follow into the story. To be curious about.
“Don’t let yourself slip and get any perfect characters… keep them people, people, people, and don’t let them get to be symbols.”
What Makes a Story Compelling?
- Characters they care about–because they like them, because they’re intrigued by them, because they’re curious what motivates them . . .
- An unfamiliar problem the characters need to solve, or a familiar problem that the characters are forced to solve in an unfamiliar or unexpected manner . . .
- A driving force, internal or external, that pushes the character into internal change that enables them to solve that problem in the course of the story when they wouldn’t have been able to solve it previously.
- A universal lesson to the victory or defeat that makes it relatable to the reader–some connection that they can establish after reading that makes them able to see how the lesson learned by the character(s) has potential relevance in their own lives.
“But if you don’t understand that story is character and not just idea, you will not be able to breathe life into even the most intriguing flash of inspiration.”
Make Your Readers Care
- The characteristics, mannerisms, perceptions, misconceptions, secrets that make your character(s) different enough from anyone else the reader has met in life or in fiction that they spark curiosity enough to pull the reader into the story.
- What your character(s) care about enough to pull them into conflict.
- The circumstances your character(s) lived through before the story you are telling began and the things that shaped them into the person they are at the beginning of the story.
- Which fears/secrets/misconceptions/wounds hold your character(s) back from being who they need to be in order to solve the problem that forms the core of the story.
- The motivations/driving forces that could push them into learning the lesson they need in order to solve the problem.
Character Brainstorming Worksheet
About the Author
Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She’s the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, including Compulsion, Persuasion, and Illusion from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and of the Celtic Legends series for adult readers beginning with Lake of Destiny.
She lives with her husband, children, and a lopsided cat, she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the sorts of magical places she’d love to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate-flavored tea, Quality Streets, and anything with Nutella on it.
