Are You Thinking Like Your Characters?

I always remind authors to remember where literature falls in the area of education. Literature is part of the humanities division. These are stories that talk about the human experience and give us an insight into who we are as people. Now, why is this important? Because, as an author, you have to create the most realistic portrayal of your characters. And, the problem is, many fail to do so.

Too often, I find myself rejecting projects, not because the premise is not great. It often comes down to the fact that the author has simply written words on the page and not given the reader the depth of character development. We simply see characters talking on the page, but those characters are not really coming to life.

I also find that I end up passing on projects because the characters simply do not sound authentic. Their comments and behaviors are not what normal people would do in those situations. The author, instead, has used the characters' dialogue and actions simply to move the plot forward and not so much to give us a sense of the person.

So, as you work on your stories today, I want you to really listen to your characters. Would a "real" person say those things or act that way? Would a "real" person really have those emotions at that exact time? The more you do this, the easier it will be to draw your reader in.