Jessie's Tips for Better Writing

Characters #2 - Adversity, Intriguing Characters, and Introductions

Characters #2 - Adversity, Intriguing Characters, and Introductions

CHARACTERS FACING ADVERSITY:

Let's face it. We all come across adversity in our lives, whether it's a person/people, a thing, a place, or even ourselves. So the character in your book should too.

Here are a few points about writing adversity.

1) Adversity is what makes the story interesting and realistic! Can you imagine a story where everything went perfectly fine and the character didn't encounter any complications or rude people? I would be bored to death, and laugh at its unrealistic writing.

2) Your characters will go through difficult times, but they need to learn how to deal with situations on their own. If a main character is constantly getting through rough times because of other characters’ strengths, your story won’t be very good. Readers want to be able to relate to your main character, but also feel inspired by how your character deals with rough situations. Your readers won’t look up to a character that always cowers in the corner whenever anything difficult happens.

3) With that last point in mind, also remember that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. So your main character can't be some strong powerhouse who overcomes every difficulty with ease. KEEP THIS IN MIND: They don't necessarily have to overcome the struggle easily, but the way they handle dealing with the struggle is what makes the character more realistic and likeable. They can't defeat everything. They will need help sometimes. But make sure they at least contribute, or have a surprising save at the end, or something to keep the fire going.

4) Different types of adversity include:
         1-Physical Adversity ~ Death, injury, illness, threat. To them or a person close to them.
         2-Miscommunication and Deception ~ Misunderstandings or deliberate lies.
         3-Displacement ~ Characters enter a situation where they are uncomfortable or at odds.
         4-Desire ~ Their desire leads to destruction.
         5-Relationships ~ Conflict, fighting, estrangement.

These are just a sample of the many examples of adversity.

5) Adversity is a tool for character development. How they overcome the struggle, what fears they have to face along the way, and what changes their personality endures through the struggle.

Make sure you have adversity in your story that will help your character grow and make the plot interesting!

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INTRIGUING CHARACTERS:

1 ~ MOTIVATION is key.
       - Your character should want something. Desire for something/someone/someplace. Desire for a successful future. Desire to be a certain way or look a certain way. They need something to drive them. It makes them interesting and realistic, and drives the plot forward. (You can take a look at the chapter "A Character's Goal" for more on this.) This gives them a passion, a goal, a will, and makes them more than some boring protagonist waiting for Prince Charming to stumble upon her.

2 ~ RELATIBILITY will help your audience connect.
      - Use emotions to your advantage. Feelings that the audience can connect with, such as fear, love, hate, desire, pain, betrayal, etc. Let's face it; Most of us are emotional rollercoasters, even if we hide it well. Your character shouldn't be a brick, just stating the facts like "he said" and "she said" then "we did." Let us feel her embarrassment when she does something in front of her crush. Write about her discomfort when a stranger hits on her. Express her inner joy when she makes the passing grade.