Hi Friend, 

In preparation for the webinar we did Tuesday on essential plot and characters tips, people sent in questions. We answered a bunch in the webinar, but not all. So I'm on a mission to answer as many as I can in the weeks ahead. Here's one:

We read stories to get into the life and heart and mind of the characters, so we can experience their challenges and triumphs and get pleasure and growth. But what if we don't like the character? Then it can be hard to read the book. 

Then reader tends to put the book down.

We writers certainly don't want that. We want readers to read to the end, to flip pages far into the night, in love with the characters and the story.

Readers like characters they can relate to. We may not always like them as a friend, but if we can understand where the characters are coming from, we get them. Then as the reader we can side with them and walk in their shoes.

So the real question is how to create your character so the reader can walk in her shoes. You do this by clarifying your character's motivation -- first for yourself as the writer and then for the reader in the prose.

What can you do to give the reader a peek into your character's reasons for doing what she's doing?

One way to do this is for you ask your character first what he or she wants. Then ask her about her motivation with this question: 

Then ask at least two more times. I'll illustrate.

For example, I have a character my critique partner thinks isn't very sympathetic. This character, lets call her Sophie, keeps to herself and wants to be independent. She seems a bit cold.

I have my work cut out for me.

So I ask Sophie what she wants: to be independent from men and her family's close-minded attitudes and to succeed in her work, specifically her research in an archaeology lab she owns.

Then I ask her: What will having that do for you?

Sophie: I want to succeed on my own terms.

Again: What will having that do for you?

Sophie: Then I will know that I am good and capable.

Again: What will having that do for you?

Sophie: I will know I am a good person, and not cursed.

Ah! Something to work with. She appears cold to others because some part of her feels cursed and therefore not a good person. I could reveal this through her inner thought and even through what another says to her. In her actions, I can she her as standoffish, but inside she could be hurting because she holds herself back when what she really wants is closeness. (Probably her deepest motivation: to ultimately connect with others.)

This is enough for me for now to understand where Sophie is coming from. yes, it's complicated, but I have some things to work with on the page: her thoughts, words, emotions, and actions to reveal this complexity inside the story.

A note about this exercise: It's important that you use this wording, "What will having that do for you?" and then answer from the character's perspective. This question triggers the experience and allows you as the writer to get inside the heart and mind and depth of character, soul or spirit or unconscious -- whatever we're drawing from as we draft our characters, as I did here.

So, now it's your turn.

Use this question on your characters and hit reply and let me know how it goes.