There are a few elements to every story. I like to think of them (in no particular order) as setting, characters, prose, plot, and pacing. Let’s start with the most important.
So, which one makes an average story good or a good story great? Why do so many people, young and old, love the Harry Potter series? Is it because of the plots or settings? Both are good, but what is remarkable about a young wizard who reluctantly becomes a hero? It sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?
When I think about my favorite books, I always think about the characters first. The rest logs in as a distant second. I enjoy the Harry Potter series because I relate to the characters; I’m invested in them, and I want to know what happens to them next.
How, as writers, do we do that? How do we make readers love or hate our characters? This is a big topic and deserves multiple blog posts. For now, think about great characters that you’ve read. I bet they all have virtues and faults. What intrigues me most are the faults. Good characters need to be multi-dimensional, but not only must they be multi-dimensional---their faults and virtues must have consequences. Otherwise, they are nothing more than “stock” characters, and a story based upon stock characters quickly becomes boring no matter how good the plot, prose, or pacing.
Next we’ll start discussing ways to make characters pop, so readers read and stories get told.
Jeff Altabef, author of Fourteenth Colony, a new critically acclaimed thriller. I donate half of my proceeds for the Fourteenth Colony to the Covenant House, so enjoy a great book and help homeless kids at the same time. Click here to find out more - http://www.amazon.com/Fourteenth-Colony-ebook/dp/B00C2D97OS/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=13747132...
