How To Write Captivating Characters 

You may have written the most compelling story to ever have been put to paper, but if your characters aren't worth the ink they're printed with then the whole thing is going to fall as flat as the sheet.

Having well-rounded and compelling characters are one of the best ways to draw readers into your story and keep them there.

There are a few things to keep in mind to make sure your characters are as compelling as possible.

Relatatabllity 

If readers can't relate or empathize with your characters then they're not going to find themselves invested in the story. This isn't to say that if your character is an orphan then only orphans are going to relate to them, but if your character is strong-willed, stubborn, anxious in social settings, or any other quality that deems them as a human instead of a robot your reader will be able to find something in common with them and start to care about them.

How will my reader relate to the personality of this character? 

Attractive Quality 

If your main character is a jerk, rude to everyone, and has no redeemable qualities, then your reader isn't going to care if they succeed on their journey or not and will lose their interest in your story. 

Intelligence, kind-heartedness, dependability, courage, creativity, the list can go on about good traits to give your character. 

This doesn't mean your main character has to be a good person, they can even be the villain in the story, but there has to be something about them that is still redeemable to make their journey worth seeing through to the end.

What about this character will have my reader rooting for their success?

Room for Growth/Change  

Hero or villain, it doesn't matter. There is always room for improvement. 

One of the most important aspects of your story isn't just the journey of your character, but the change that happens to your character over their journey. They're not going to be the same person they were on the last page of your story as they were on that very first one. 

How does my character change throughout my story? 

Goals 

What does your character what? Sure they might want to stop the Big Evil from taking over the world, but they also want to learn to trust their own judgment instead of relying on everyone else.

Your character should have two sets of goals, external and internal.

External goals are what motivate your character outside of themselves such as leaving their abusive home and setting out on their own. 

Internal goals are what motivates your character inside of themselves such as this same character wanting to find a place where they are loved and accepted. This goal will help them achieve the growth or change from the previous point. 

What does your character want and how do they plan to get it? 

Something to Lose

If there's nothing at stake for your character then not only does your story not have much tension, but there is no conflict in your story. 

Your character has to have something on the line that makes the journey they are going through worth it not only to them but for the reader. 

These stakes can be either personal like wanting to make someone proud or physical such as life or death 

What will happen if your protagonist fails to achieve their goal? What are they risking? What might they lose?

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Your characters don't have to be flawlessly perfect and it's actually better if they aren't. Most readers find themselves falling in love with stories that they can picture themselves in and creating a compelling realistic character is just the way to do this.

Best of luck and keep writing. 

With love, 

B.K. xo

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