SIR JOHN'S BLOG FEATURING INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLING AUTHOR JOHNNY RAY

Making the readers love the characters of a novel is perhaps one of the most exciting parts about writing. So, why do writers make them so unlovable from the start? Yes, writers want them to grow and be fully dimensional. And some characters are meant to be unlovable. But, the questions remain on how to make the characters interesting enough for the reader to care about so that the pages will turn.
The reader has to have expectations that the characters can be redeemed. Even as bad as the worst character is, there is always some good trait. Readers want to know why someone turned out so bad. What are the motives and reasons for such actions? In short, a good writer instills a curiosity in the reader to keep reading to find out—why?
To keep those pages turning, the characters have to be unique, but conform to certain standards that everyone adheres to. The reader wants to become that character for a while and want to be known as the beautiful lady or handsome gentleman for a while. They want to know they can face adversities and overcome them. They want hope. It is when the writer gives them none, they close the book.
An interesting book to read and follow the advice in building characters is “How to make people like you in 90 seconds or less” by Nicholas Boothman. It is a great book that belongs on all writers desk.
Johnny Ray