Is your character someone to root for?

As I've mentioned before, effective character development is something I constantly strive toward. This was especially apparent last Friday, when my story was up for critique in my MFA class. 

During the workshop, people said they didn't really like the main character--and some of them even sympathized with characters who were supposed to be adversaries. 

One classmate hit the nail on the head as to why. She said, "She wasn't really someone I could root for."

This really struck a chord with me. Because we all want our characters to be relatable. Likable. Someone our readers will want to stick with for several pages. 

But if I'm rooting for a character, I'm with them all the way, even after the wheels fall off. 

So I asked myself the following:

Which characters make me feel like this: ("Rick 'em, rack em!")

From Tumblr: "A Girl Worth Fighting For" http://i-wont-say-im-in-loveee.tumblr.com/

Instead of this: ("If he can't do it, GREAT!")

From Tumblr: "Darling You'll be Okay" http://lover-drown-me.tumblr.com/

Here are a few examples I came up with:

Matilda Wormwood (Matilda, by Roald Dahl): Matilda grows up in a family that doesn't appreciate her. But what really keeps us with her the whole way is she doesn't let this get her down, nor does she act superior (even though she is). As an agent of chaos, she fights back by playing subtle pranks on her family and other adversaries.

What Matilda teaches us: Protagonists need to see the humor in their situations, no matter how bleak they are.

Claire Beauchamp (Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon): In contrast with Matilda, Claire is an inherently strong-willed person. But what keeps us for the long haul is her vulnerability as well as her strength. Like Matilda, she's cunning, and willing to be an agent of chaos to get what she needs. Steal a horse to return to the standing stones that brought her to eighteenth century Scotland. Or defy a priest to save the life of a young boy.  But in both those situations, Claire is also inherently vulnerable. 

What Claire teaches us: Protagonists' actions need a distinct purpose in concordance with the chaos they create, and strong characters need to show their softer sides.

Tally Youngblood (Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld): Tally, like Matilda, is put in a weak position from the onset, especially after she loses her best friend Peris to the "pretties." Although Tally considers herself an "ugly," she doesn't wallow in that. And through her journey to dismantle what's been created, she figures out that being "pretty" isn't all that important anyway. 

What Tally teaches us: Protagonists need enough flexibility to grow and change. 

Notice that all three characters have something in common: a willingness to be an agent of chaos. To turn their external worlds upside down. What makes the difference is how that change relates to them as human beings.

So in this short story I wrote (it's probably going to turn into a book chapter), I've decided to make my character a little wiser (like Claire), more stoic (like Matilda) and more flexible (like Tally). And, like all three, a true agent of chaos.

What about you? Which characters do you root for most? And in turn, what do you think makes readers root for the characters you've written?

What's Your Easter Egg?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I spent mine trying to get some relaxation time in, while fixing some plot and character problems in one of my manuscripts. There was a place, a little more than 30% in, where it felt flat, and had no direction. Kind of like this:

Now what?

Ultimately, it meant I hadn't yet gotten to what that story really was--it was floundering, with nothing holding it together. I'd added too many directions, and made the story wider instead of deeper.

But it needed to go deeper. That was the creamy filling that the book's egg was missing.

Which meant my character needed a clear focus, a motivation, even after she'd experienced a pretty significant trauma. And it had to directly relate to the mid-point reversal.

And then, when I saw the the end of an episode of Better Call Saul, called Pimento, I finally found my missing Easter egg.

I won't ruin Better Call Saul for those who want to see it, but suffice to say that Saul (Jimmy) finds out that he's been strung along for quite awhile by someone he thought he trusted (which is exactly what happens to my protagonist). Watch if you dare:




My protagonist's motivation was not only to try to fill the holes in her life, but acknowledge that they were there in the first place. And because the antagonist would never allow her to do that, that's where they could bat heads at the mid-point reversal.

Armed with my Easter egg (and its creamy filling) I'll go back to revising that section with a completely new purpose--both with what the antagonist intends and how my protagonist has to get around it.

To to sum up, if you have a section of your book that's falling flat, revisit the following questions:

• What does my protagonist really want here (their Easter egg)? Why do they want it? How will it help him/her?
• What does my antagonist really want here (their Easter egg)? How will he/she thwart my protagonist's efforts to get what he/she wants?
• How will this section relate to the mid-point reversal (or other places where protagonist and antagonist go head-to-head)?

Hopefully, by the time you've worked through this, you'll find Easter eggs that you might not otherwise have discovered.

Your turn. What's your protagonists's Easter egg? Antagonist's Easter egg? How will they help your plot and character development?

Bread Crumbs & Tying Things Together

I'm currently in the beginning stages of sending Open Thy Heart to betas, and being as this is the second in a series, I've found that not only is there the usual plot/writing stuff to do, but there's also a whole lot of tying things together. Like...

Re-introducing the characters. Reminding the reader as to who feels this way about whom, and why. Pointing out the problems in the previous book and gently refreshing the reader's memory on how they were resolved, and more.

This time, I'm on a bit of a deadline, and have found that the usual, no-rush timeframe of, well, getting this done whenever I want, isn't working so well. (Sad face.) Which means... coffee! (Just kidding. Sort of. Okay, not really.) Which (actually) means... lists! There is nothing more assuring and satisfying than crossing items off a list, especially that very last one, and boy do I have a list to go over. My editor once referred to the little clues given throughout the book that lead to the big revelations later on as "bread crumbs", and I love this description. So, my list currently consists of the laying out of bread crumbs. More importantly, making sure they are

1) consistent throughout the story

2) consistent for the characters

3) leading to proper revelations

4) keeping with the overall plot

5) keeping with the overall plot not only of this book, but with the series

I probably forgot something, but these are the most applicable. How about you? Is there a certain way you look at your storyline to ensure everything's tied up by the end? I'd love to hear about it! :)

(For another good list to go over whilst editing, check out Abby's recent Gesture Clutches.)

Letting Characters Be Themselves - Elana Johnson

Characters are the heart and soul of novels. They can make a reader clutch the book to their chest, sighing with happiness when things go well. And a well-developed character can also make a cry when something horrible happens.

It’s the people we care about when we read. If we don’t care about the character, chances are we won’t finish the book.

So the first lesson on characterization is this: Let your character be themselves. They should have a fully formed personality, and they should not deviate from who they are for any reason—even if it’s to fit your plot.

I say, mold your plot around your character, not the other way around.

Of course, we want to see growth and change in a character. Those kinds of things should happen through the story as the character undergoes new challenges and must make difficult choices. Perhaps they learn something about themselves they never knew before—or refused to recognize.

That’s all fine. But ultimately, we want to see a character who does, says, and chooses exactly what you, as the author, set them up to do, say, and choose.

Easy, right? Uh…

Some tips:

1. Be consistent. If your main character hates talking on the phone—and that’s not a flaw you want them to have to overcome—then they never talk on the phone. This is an easy one, I know, but still. All those nuances you’ve given your character? They should serve a purpose. Some are flaws you’ll want them to overcome, and others are the fine details all characters need to be made into three-dimensional people a reader will care about. So if they drive slow, they never drive fast. If they can’t talk to girls, then they don’t suddenly start snapping off witty remarks with females. It’s in these little details that readers will recognize the care with which you molded your characters. 
2. Give your character something to believe in. There’s nothing more boring than vanilla, even if it is delicious. We want to read about a character that has passions, dreams, troubles. Because we have passions, dreams, and troubles. If the MC is just getting up and going to school every day, the book’s a snooze-fest. If you give your character something to believe in, or something to care about, that establishes a motivation for their growth and change. This worthy cause/motivation is also good for your plot. 
3. When writing, put your MC in a high-stress, angry, or tense situation. What do they do? What might they say? Write it out. This will establish how the character will act during your climax—as this is one of the most troubling spots for authors to keep their characters in, well, character. 
4. Lastly, if something feels off in your novel and you don’t know what, start by evaluating your character. More often than not, the flaw lies in their development or their subsequent consistency. 

Examine what your character does, says, and chooses. Those three things contribute to who that character is, and must be in line with the established persona of the character.

Elana is the author of the Possession series, which includes full-length novels POSSESSION and SURRENDER, and short stories REGRET (ebook only) and RESIST (free here!).

Elana wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy. Using her boring human powers, she graduated from Southern Utah University with Summa Cum Laude honors in Elementary Education with a minor in Mathematics. She started her teaching career as an upper grade music and art specialist. After a four-year stint in 3rd grade, she is currently the technology specialist.

In her world, Oreos and bacon would be the only food groups. Everyone would drive 10 over the speed limit. Winter would be eliminated as a season, and Jeff Probst would be President. As it is, she lives with her husband and two kids in central Utah, gets cited when she drives too fast and eats Oreos only on special occasions.

She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog, a regular contributor to The League of Extraordinary Writers, and a co-organizer of WriteOnCon. She is a member of SCBWI, ANWA, and LDStorymakers. CLICK HERE to find her elsewhere around the web.

Elana is represented by Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary.

BUY LINKS:

Possession - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million

Toe the line between rule-following and rule-breaking in this tense and twisted start to a smart and sexy dystopian trilogy.

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Surrender - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million

The thrilling and seductive sequel to Possession puts love on the line in a dystopian struggle for independent thought.

Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.

Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

Abandon (available for pre-order) - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million

The fight for independent thought becomes a matter of life or death in this sizzling and intense conclusion to the Possession trilogy.

Vi has made her choice between Jag and Zenn, and the resistance may have suffered for it. But with the Thinkers as strong as ever, the rebels still have a job to do. Vi knows better than anyone that there’s more at stake than a few broken hearts.

But there is a traitor among them…and the choices he makes could lead to the total destruction of everything Vi has fought for.

Vi, Jag, and Zenn must set their problems aside for the resistance to have any hope of ending the Thinkers’ reign. Their success means everything…and their failure means death.