I could do an 8 week, daily posting series on characters. I could do an 8 month post series on characters. In fact, I could probably go and create and entire blog dedicated solely to creating and developing real characters that people will love and cherish.

But today I'm going to touch on just a few aspects of characters that make them ones we want to stay with. Character we root for. How we create characters, how we help them become their own person, and what we do with them once they've formed.



I want to make a quick note. I am going to highlight three aspects of character that I find make me root for them. When I posted about making your scene emotionally gripping, having a character to root for was one of the key aspects of that.

But how do you do that? How do you craft a character that people will want to read about?


No one wants to read about the next door neighbor taking care of their cat for 8 weeks. That's not unique, and as a result, really not captivating.

I just read the first book of The Reckoners trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. I loved it so much, and one of my favorite aspects of the books was David, the main character. I didn't really connect to him on an emotional level, but man was that guy fun to read about! He has so many quirks that make me just want to grab him and hug him, or better yet--sit and watch his movie for a while.
Even if they seem a little dull, if your character makes people cry or threatens to wrench their hearts right out of their chests, they're likely to keep reading anyway. When you  have a character that you really feel bad for, a character who has captured your heart, you're not going to put the book down anytime soon. You have to see how they survive!


If all else fails, do your best to make them relatable. Most characters should be relatable on some level, but if you character is kind of dull and completely unsympathetic, a relatable character can often make the difference between someone picking up a book and leaving it on the shelf.

They don't have to be relatable in a huge way. It could be a common quirk they have, or a certain phrase they use. More often though, you'll fin the most power in lies they believe, and other struggles they are battling. I actually bought a book one time because from what I read of the blurb, I knew I would benefit from the main character's story.



Even if you already have a pretty good idea of who your character is, I would reccommend checking over these three aspects. A character readers will root for is so important. It can make the difference between reading the story, and not reading.

I'll share a piece of why I think the MC of my nano novel is relatable! I'm going to be writing the second book to my YA Fantasy series, and my MC (Rissa) is sympathetic. In book one, she lived in a really tough situation. She was hopefully fairly interesting and relatable, but her situation making her sympathetic was what I really think will make readers want to finish her story. They want to see her rise above the challenges she faces and conquer.


What about you? Are you doing nano this November? If you are (or if you're not!), what trait does your character have to make them a character to root for?

I'm going to do this a liiiittle differently. I was inspired by Katie to share some of my own goals for the end of the year. So as I'm giving updates of things that have already taken place, I'll share some goals and hopes for the remainder of the year.

OH HEY! That'll be my "thing" for this quarter wrap-up! I'll give goals for each topic in place of poems for first quarter and mottos for second.  :D

and so hannah still somehow manages to remain original

One thing about this show is that it models a lot of healthy relationships. None of them are perfect, of course, but Barry has a lot of people he can go to. He has a lot of people that care about him, and they care about him enough to call him out when he's made a mistake.

At the beginning of season two, Barry tries to isolate himself because he feels responsible for some severe things from season one. And his friends honor his wishes and keep away ... for a while. But they soon realize he's not going to forgive himself, so they need to be there for him. Even if it means doing what he doesn't necessarily want.


That's another big one. Barry takes the full responsibility of everything that happens that's connected to him. People die? It's his fault. A building is destroyed? All his doing. And he's constantly beating himself up about if only I was better and if only I was faster then, of course, none of this would have happened.


Barry is really good about sharing stuff with those who he loves and those who love him. When he gets down or feels ultra responsible, he tries to shoulder it all on himself. But that never lasts very long before he's going to Joe or Iris or Wells, asking for advice.

One of the devil's favorite tactics is to isolate you. He wants to make you feel alone and vulnerable. And if you don't hold onto your friends, if you don't reach out and open yourself up to them, his attack will succeed.

Don't let that be the case.


Barry is far from perfect. He makes a lot of mistakes, some of which result in very serious consequences. But there's a turning point in the series when he finally realizes, yes, I messed up. Yes, this was my fault. Yes, I could have done better. But I didn't. I messed things up this time, and there's nothing I can do about it. But I can change the future. I can put all my energy from being upset about this to making an effort towards that never happening again. Then I'll actually make a difference.

I don't know about you guys, but that really hit home with me. Watching him let go of the guilt ... he wasn't blameless, but he was able to let the guilt go. He was able to free himself from that heavy burden, with the help of his friends.

We mess up. We make mistakes. But Jesus has given us the chance to let go of all of that. We can move on. We can move forward.

We just have to let go.


I know this isn't really writing related, but I hope you enjoyed this post all the same! If you want something that is writing related and written by yours truly, go check out my guest post on the lovely Savannah's blog! You should totally check out all she's got going on over there. It's awesome!

Have you ever watched The Flash? What do you think of Barry Allen, and what have you learned from him? Are there any other characters in fiction that you've deeply connected with?