Guest Post: Creating Strong Characters by Gabriella Slade

"Readers are not sheep, and not every pen tempts them," -Vladimir Nabokov

We all love a strong character.

That's a fact. We as readers love the ability to pick up a book and fall in love with a person who exists only between the pages of a book. As a writer, it's our job, to not only create a compelling story that pulls a reader in but to write about strong, well-developed characters for people to read about.

If a reader doesn't like the character they're reading about, they'll most likely put down the story. It's as simple as that.

When I sent off my own book, Show Me, to be read by beta readers, much of the feedback I received said my main character, Kade, was not very likable. He was moody, and dark, and needed a lighter side of his personality to balance him out. It surprised me, but I knew the changes needed to be made, so I went back to the drawing board and took some more time to get to know my character.

What are some of the things that make a character strong?

• A backstory that is well developed throughout the course of the book/series
• Both Positive AND negative traits
• Quirks and Hobbies
• Things he/she believes in
• Passions
• Dreams or plans for the future
• Fears

Granted, that's a lot, so here are some questions used to develop these things even further than just a boring old bullet list.

1. Who were his parents? Were they present throughout his childhood? Where are they today?
2. What was his education like?
3. What does he like to do for fun?
4. What are some of his good and bad habits?
5. Is he religious?
6. What does he dream about doing one day?
7. What is he scared of?
8. Does he have any secrets?

OK, this is just yet another boring list, but it's also the starting point to getting to know your character even better.

When I dove back into Kade's development, I made sure to give him interests that weren't put there simply for the sake of the plot. I balanced out his darker, moody side by giving him a sense of humor, and made him less negative about every single little issue in his life. Sure he is still moody. He does tend to complain at times. But that's just because he's flawed.

A strong character is more an imperfect character, rather than a perfect one.

Maybe you're on the other side of the spectrum. Maybe you tried so hard to make your character good, that he is practically perfect. No imperfections. No fears. Unfortunately, that's just unrealistic and very unrelatable. Like it or not, you need to give your characters some spots. Does he take all his anger out on his family or friends? Does he blame other people for his mistakes? Does he lie, cheat or steal?

Just remember: Don't make the same mistake I did by making your character too unlikable because then you'll be in the same boat as I was.

You'll most likely spend a lot of time developing your characters throughout the writing and editing of your story. If you happen to be writing a series like I am, you'll have even more time to get to know your character. You'll also have the amazing opportunity to get to watch them grow. Maybe they'll mend some of their old flaws, and build new ones.

In the end, there will probably almost always be something you won't know about your character. But that's OK. Take the time, however, to learn about your characters, because if you don't know about your character, how will your readers?

~

Gabriella Slade is the author of the upcoming fantasy novel, Show Me. You can find her on Instagram @soulquestersaga, and on her website at gabriellaslade.com

Thanks for joining us, Gabriella! I hoped you learned something from her!

~The WordShaker