First Impressions

What "first impression vibes" does your main character impart?

Do we like them immediately, or do we dislike them?

In real life, we tend to like those who are most like us. Perhaps we are close to the same age, share the same style or interests, or are living similar moments in our lives. We gravitate away from those we don't immediately understand--perhaps someone from a different culture or socioeconomic status, or someone much older or younger than us.

We will most certainly dislike someone who is acting in a way we don't consider normal ("normal" as it reflects our own values or belief systems, of course).

Many of our interpretations of a person are enacted on a subconscious level--at the time, we don't even realize we're judging or making assessments, sizing the other person up, if you will.

The same applies to fictional characters. 

We are going to most relate to and enjoy reading about someone who is like us.

But. . . . 

It's also likely we will become bored with them, and this is why our characters should be unique--just representative enough of the demographic to relate to the intended audience, but different enough to pique and maintain the reader's interest.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Readers are not going to identify with every character acting between the covers of every book, and this is why, as writers, it's up to us to create enough sympathy surrounding a character that readers can't help but connect to them in some real way. 

The writing advice for how to do this varies: some say give the character a dog--something to love dearly--or a tragic backstory, or a noble cause.

But whether they are good or bad, likeable or unlikeable, the reader *will* develop an opinion at that first meeting, and it's up to the writer to use the tools at their disposal to overcome (or build on) that first impression to whatever degree is necessary to keep the reader turning pages.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

On Likeability

I've talked about likeability on the blog before. In fact, one of the first rejections I received from a publisher (more than 15 years ago) was a pass because my heroine wasn't "likeable" enough. 

(Thank goodness they didn't meet Summer from All I Never Wanted).

But I wondered then and I've wondered since: when did we decide that we have to like the characters we read about?

In fact, Literature is strewn with the wreckage of wholly unlikeable characters. We know them, we remember them, and yes: the good writer actually made us feel for them.

The only rule of page turning is that readers are interested in the character and curious about what will happen next. 

That's it.

I don't want to go so far as to say it's easy to write a likeable character because creating a believable character in itself is difficult, but to entice a reader to want to get to know someone with few redeeming qualities?

Challenge Accepted.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~