|
I don't know how much editing this will need, and it probably needs a new title, but here's something I just came up with for the blog.
-----
When writing a story, it is important to not only have a good storyline, but to also have good characters. The characters of a story should be people that readers can relate with. If your readers feel no sympathy for the characters, and do not understand them, they most likely will lose interest in the story.
Everyone has flaws. We’re human, which means we aren’t perfect. Fantasy stories usually aren’t only about humans, but no matter what kind of person the characters are, they should still have flaws. Nobody --whether real or fictional-- is perfect, and we have to remember that when writing stories.
No realistic character is going to be able to dodge every blow in a fight or know what to do in every situation. It’s possible to write a character that acts that way, but it doesn’t make for a good story. Readers want characters that struggle with the same things they do. When creating a character for a story, take a look at their personality and their background. If the character is well-developed, there’s going to be some sort of flaw. Maybe they can’t fight well, or maybe they have a quick tongue that gets them into trouble. Maybe their parents treated them wrong as a child, and they don’t trust others. Whatever it is, there is going to be some sort of flaw. A character that has everything going right for them on the outside is still going to have some sort of inner turmoil, if they are well-developed.
The same goes for races. For instance, Elves are frequently considered a higher race. They live forever, have healing powers, and are great archers. It’s easy to portray them as better than other races. But races should have flaws as well. Maybe the people have a weak king and no order. Or maybe their king is too strong. Maybe they don’t get along well with other races, or maybe they are easily tricked by others. The people may not agree about some things. There’s going to be something that makes them just as “bad” as the other races, even if the people themselves don’t think so.
The characters are what make stories. You can’t have a story without having people involved. If you want people to really feel for your characters, don’t make everything go well for those characters. Everyone has a unique personality that makes them who they are, and characters need to be unique and flawed as well.
|
