Life experiences can be excellent teachers and great for making characters relatable. In most books I’ve read regardless of topic, there’s been some element that drew me in. Either it was because I understood what the author felt or was
nosycurious about what happened to the characters.As you mentioned in your post, it may be easier or even second nature to “tell” what grief is like, but “showing” can reveal a lot as well. Being able to balance between these two can make for a great story. Thank you for sharing, and I’m sorry for your family’s loss.
“I loved that book. I really felt like I could not relate to the characters one bit.”
Said no one ever.
Writing real characters is an essential feature of a story that moves readers and pulls at their heart strings. Yet it’s one of the most misunderstood elements of fiction. Ranking right up there with “show, don’t tell,” creating realistic characters is one of the most oft-touted pieces of writing advice. It’s also one of the toughest skills to master.
Because I think this is such a crucial element in any good story, it’s a topic I’ve written about before. I guest posted at Romance Lives Forever with a piece called 3 Tips for Writing Likable Characters, and I posted my own piece called What Does It Mean to Creat a “Real” Character. I’m all about using personal and small detail to bring characters to life, and recently…
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Melanie V. Logan 