Now, we all know that the characters in a book can make or break a great story. I think back on books I’ve read, and the books I love the most, I love because of the characters in them. With most of those books I couldn’t even tell you what those characters did, but I know I love them, and they made me feel a connection to the book.
So the question is, how do we write those characters? The key is writing a character that is relatable, heartfelt, and that you as an author feel a connection with deep in your soul. It might sound weird to be connected to someone you’re creating in a story, but I promise you, you will be a better writer and reader if you let yourself truly know your characters.
Forming Relationships With My Characters
I know what you’re thinking- I sound like a crazy person. I know, but hear me out. When we read books, watch movies, or see plays, there are always those characters we relate to on a deeper level. Whether we feel like we relate to them, love them, or hate them– there’s a definite connection.
So, why would we not strive for the same thing as an author? Before I write a story, I write my characters. Not every detail ends up in the actual book, but I need to know my characters like I have a personal relationship with them. Think about it, you need to know their history, the in’s and out’s of their days, the way they react to situations like heartache, jealousy, love, and loss.
These are things you only know about someone if you are in a relationship with them. To create a genuine, meaningful, deep character, they need to have a relationship with you.
Create Characters You Love to Love, and Love to Hate
Every character has layers to their lives as they start to grow in the story, and often I find myself taking sides of certain characters. There are some that I root for, and others I hope will get what they deserve. My advice to you is to let your characters make mistakes, grow, and change the same as we do.
From Friends to Forever is a prime example of where I needed to let my characters learn and live through their mistakes. There were love triangles, military trials, suspense, and friends to lovers that we were rooting for throughout this romance novel. If I had overridden the character’s story to let the romance happen I wanted all along, we would have missed out on a beautiful, heartfelt romance novel. Let your characters make the mistakes they need to learn from, to lead them back to their destiny.
Characters Must be Written With a Soul
To write a good character, emotion needs to be involved. We all want someone to root for, cry for, and cheer for in a clean romance novel. Your characters have to experience raw, emotional and human feelings. What I’m trying to say is that your characters need to have a soul.
How can we write a romance if the characters aren’t able to feel- to feel love!? Before you start your story, sit down and learn about your characters. Get to know them, learn their story, and then you’ll be able to sit down and write the story your characters are meant to live Characters come first.
Characters Yearn for Relationship
For all stories, whether we’re talking about romance novels or any other genre, characters are yearning for relationships. In Balancing Love & Work, the characters had pasts that had hurt them and changed their views on love, but it didn’t stop them from wanting a friendship that turned into something more. They yearned for a relationship, whether they realized it or not, and it was my job as the author to help them get from friends to lovers at their pace.
In romance especially (think about it), your character is searching for love, and you need to know them well enough to know what kind of love they want, what they think they deserve, what they need, and how would you know that if you don’t first learn to love your characters yourself? Your characters want to be known by you, and they want you to write them with the depth and emotional intimacy that they deserve.
From Imagination to Heart: Crafting Characters Your Readers Love
I am very passionate about characters, and giving them the emotion and depth that they deserve. My goal as an author is to write characters that people can cling to and learn to love. I truly don’t think that’s possible if I haven’t first formed a relationship with my characters and learned how they deserve to be written.
Don’t find yourself becoming detached from your characters, or just checking off the boxes on what they should do–instead, let your characters live, make mistakes, and learn to love. Who knows? They might surprise you, and they just might create the most beautiful story you have ever heard.
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