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It's all about the characters...
Well for me anyway. LOL At Samhain, we hear “It’s all about the story.” And that is so so true, but at the root of every story are the characters. There can be a book with the most interesting story idea but with characters the reader hates or cannot sympathize with, it falls flat.
One problem with characterization can be the point of view the story is written in. If an author headhops, the reader isn’t in one character’s head long enough to get to “know” that character. Or there are too many points of view in the book. I read a book years ago that went into so many characters’ heads that it was confusing and I never had a clear idea of one character’s thoughts, motivations, etc. This is not to say an author cannot do multiple points of view and do them well. I have read books that do this skillfully and the book is wonderful.
A character’s motivations, thoughts, goals, etc need to be clear to the reader. Maybe not immediately, but if a reader closes the book and still wonders why a character did something then something was missed. Authors spend a lot of time creating their characters and it’s important to readers that the characters are true. By that I mean if a hero or heroine do something completely out of character, there has to be a reason for it—whether it’s outside circumstances or something going on in their head.
We’ve all read books with characters who are TSTL (too stupid to live) or just plain infuriating. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen readers post on loops, blogs, etc about how they couldn’t finish a book because the hero or heroine was too
Secondary characters can be memorable as well. Sometimes they pop right off the page at you. How many boooks have you read and thought ‘I wonder if the author will write his/her story?” This has certainly happened with books at Samhain. After Annmarie McKenna’s Blackmailed was released, I heard many readers wondering whether Annmarie would write Scott’s story. Amelia Elias’ Hunted introduced Eli as a secondary character and readers wanted his story. Maya Banks wrote a secondary character, Wes, in her Valentine’s novella Overheard and readers really want a piece of him. LOL
What characters stand out in your mind and why? Have you read a book with a secondary character whose book/story you really want to read? What are your thoughts on characterization in general? How important is it?
~Jess
Jessica Bimberg, Editor
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
http://www.samhainpublishing.com
I’m waiting for Ronin’s story. Ahem, think Amelia is listening?
Kinley MacGregor’s characters are awesome. They’re very richly drawn and compelling. Every single one of them.
I get a lot of emails about A.J. and Mike from Seducing Simon. Lots and LOTS of emails…. (hiding under my laptop)
To me, characterization is critical. I do first person character journals as I begin a new WIP. That way the character cal tell me all sorts of things about his/herself. It saves a lot of time when figuring out how a character will react later in different situations in the book.
There are two strong female characters from the thirties who are women I’d never want to be my friend, who are incapable of being a friend, and yet, who are admirable in their own ways. I’m speaking of Scarlett O’Hara, Gone With the Wind, and Amber from Forever Amber. Both are schemers, seductresses, and basically narcissistic to the extreme. Yet, I can’t help but admire how these two characters are able to survive and even prosper no matter what’s thrown at them. As I said, I wouldn’t want either for a friend, but that fact hasn’t kept me from rereading and enjoying their stories multiple times.
It’s all about the characters to me. If you don’t care about the characters it doesn’t matter how good the storyline is. That’s the only time I ever put a book that I’m reading down. If I’m on page 100 and I still don’t care about the main characters, I’m finished.
Hmmm…secondary characters….I see you hiding Maya Banks. I read Seducing Simon and am hoping for a sequel. LOL
J.R. Ward does an excellent job. From the first book, she left you with a craving for more Black Dagger brotherhood books.
I agree it’s all about the characters. I’ll pretty much follow any storyline or premise, no matter how outrageous, if I care about the characters. If I don’t…well, let’s just say there are too many books out there to finish a book when I don’t care what happens to the characters.
Hmmm, oddly I’ve never met a secondary character so intriguing I wanted them to have their own book, at least not that sticks out in my head. However, there have been a few who were obviously set up for their own story and I was more than willing to go along for the ride :-)
Characterization is a big thing with me too. I love character-driven fiction. If I can fall in love and feel for the characters, I will always read books with those characters, or by that author again.
The only time I get overly attached to a character is when they are part of a series. I don’t get as attached in stand alones (at least not often) What bothers me is when a character drags the same story along forever in soap opera fashion (Hubby got me started on Stephanie Plum)
With my writing, I have to have a cast of characters before I can write the story. I have had plots run through my head for years just waiting for characters to take it over. And quite a few of the minor characters are strong enough to want a loud voice—but none ever branched off to another book (ok, they have—but they drag old X along with them so not the same) until now—hubby sent me a random scene (he thought it would open the book, but I know better) and the scene led to the need for a new minor character—-Maxwell Waulf, half vampire, half lyconthrope—and let’s just say, Max wants his own anthology (like Xavier) and his own series of books. AND he started barking his personal stories at me in the first person! So—now I have two alpha male ethernals running through my head—and they will be sharing the newest WIP. ARG!
Characters—gotta have them, can’t shut them up!
When you love a secondary character in a book you want them to have HEA too.
Maya Banks created a phenomenal cast. I am looking forward to Wes’s story. I see it is coming out soon. The anxiety of the wait is killing me.