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Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday hear your favorite authors and others discuss writing, covers and publishing.

This week we’re talking about what keeps your characters from falling flat.

Thanks so much to the Romance Divas for helping with this subject.

Here are the comments we discussed on the show.

Diva Cia at www.cialeah.com says:

I try and make my characters like people in real life with flaws, uncertainty, confidence, ambition and heart.

Ayla says :

Getting someone else to read though a manuscript always helps. I have an unofficial Critique Partner who helps (even though he doesn’t read romance) and sending work out to beta readers who are honest is really useful too.

Cia has a good point, I try to make sure my characters are flawed. No one is perfect, no matter what they might think.

(Side note: Shadowlady is doing a weeklong look at the differences between critique partners and beta readers on Of Ink And Quill at http://ofinkandquille.blogspot.com)

Diva Kristen at www.kristenpainter.com Co-owner of Romance Divas says:

Characters with at least one serious flaw are rarely flat – in fact, they tend to be more real because let’s face it, no one’s perfect. Perfect characters are boring.

Suzannah at www.suzannahsafi.com says:

Perfect characters must have at least one flaw. 3D to characters makes them real on paper. For me, I don’t have a character interview, they talk to me, and I live inside them in each novel. Critique Partners always good to have to catch what you have missed.

Seeley deBorn at www.seeleydeborn.com says:

Their reactions. The reader should only know the character well enough to predict a reaction part of the time.

Lauren Murphy says:

Making the characters have realistic personalities. Their reactions and thoughts and emotions should be realistic to the reader. For instance, you wouldn’t have a heroine walk in on a hero in a compromising situation (no matter how innocent he really turns out to be) and say “Oh it’s ok, that’s just what guys do,” or “It can’t be what it looks like, there has to be more going on than meets the eye.” No one would do that in real life. She would yell at him or hit him or something of that nature an then after she calmed down and listened to his pleas, (much later on) then she would see the light….if at all, but not in the heat of the moment.

Inez Kelly says:

Every human being has a quirk, mannerisms they repeat, or a style of their own. By giving your characters one thing that is uniquely theirs, it helps define them. It hast to be a logical match, like a young long haired woman who twirls her hair around her finger, or a gruff older man who frowns at everything.

Also relationships to those around them add depth. They are not just a heroine in a romance novel, they are sisters, daughters, and best friends. Show them interacting and reacting to their book mates.

I second the flaws. Who wants to read about perfect people? Boring.

Kay Kobina says:

I like characters that have a fear, confront it, deal with it, and overcome it. Everyone is afraid of something and insecure in some area, so characters that walk through a novel always is doing the right thing, never being afraid or insecure are somewhat…unbelievable, if not unsympathetic because they seem so arrogant. I also try to get characters to reveal a deep-seated irrational fear and have them face it.

My Thoughts:

Shake up their world and see how they react to change. No one is perfect and if your main characters have flaws and quirks that readers can identify with, they’ll be characters your reader will root for and enjoy. Also give them a problem to grow from… death, moving, something that takes them out of their comfort zone.

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