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HOW TO MAKE CHARACTERS VULNERABLE TO READERS

By: Jami Gold

Most tips for creating sympathetic characters point out that our characters need flaws. And that’s very true.

But it can be a real trick to show flaws for characters who bottle up their emotions in an attempt to hide their weaknesses. While very common, that defense mechanism can leave very little for us, as authors, to show.

In my own writing, my desire to create strong characters led me to sometimes emphasize how they didn’t let things bother them. And sometimes that emphasis came at the expense of sharing their fears with the reader.

This was a Bad Thing. *smile* Our characters might not be vulnerable to anyone else, but they usually need to allow a bit of vulnerability with the reader so the reader can form a connection with them.

Some stories or voices might be so compelling that they can get away with unsympathetic and/or completely invulnerable and closed-off characters. But in general, characters who are vulnerable to the reader are easier for readers to embrace.

So how do we create a crack in a character’s armor where a reader can connect to them? It might depend on how self-delusional they are. *grin*

To read the rest of the post, click here.

~*~

If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again: 

1. How to Make Characters Vulnerable to Readers | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/qIC5C
2. Does Your Writing Have Rhythm? | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/qIFOW
3. Writability: How I Won NaNoWriMo in 9 Days http://ow.ly/qIG5d
4. How To Sell Self-Published Books: Read This First | Catherine, Caffeinated http://ow.ly/qIGmd
5. Tough truths about selling to publishers | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/qIGnP
6. 16 Creative Uses of Instagram Video http://ow.ly/qIGwn
7. 6 Self-Publishing Missteps You Should Avoid | Molly Greene: Writer http://ow.ly/qLfO2  
8. Book Marketing: Generosity, Social Karma And Co-opetition | The Creative Penn http://ow.ly/qIHjk
9. Submitting an Unforgettable Guest Post: Tips from an Editor http://ow.ly/qIHyV
10. The Age of the Algorithm | Scratch Magazine http://ow.ly/qJMQ7
11. Yes, Fiction Writers Can Develop Awesome Online Platforms, Too http://ow.ly/qJMXG
12. Write Less, Not More: How to Slice and Dice | Goins, Writer http://ow.ly/qJSN2
13. Five Tips For Novel Revision – The BIG Picture | C H Griffin http://ow.ly/qL1TE
14. Seekerville: The writer's guide to surviving the holidays http://ow.ly/qL29O
15. My Top 5 Online Tools | Catherine, Caffeinated http://ow.ly/qL2jp
16. Writer Unboxed » Why So Serious? http://ow.ly/qL2wJ
17. The ONE thing your written content needs. (And it’s not what you think!) : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/qL2Ol
18. Amazon Launches Australian Kindle Store | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/qL2Rf
19. Critique Technique—Misused Backstory or Flashback http://ow.ly/qL33P
20. 18 Social Media Marketing Tips From the Pros | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/qL39o
21. OverDrive Media Stations Are Now Widely Available to Libraries - GalleyCat http://ow.ly/qL4Ko
22. 12 Mistakes Authors Make in Connecting with Readers - Rachelle Gardner http://ow.ly/qLb0h
23. 7 Ugly Truths a Pretty Website Can't Hide http://ow.ly/qLb69
24. 8 Ways to Authors Can Use Goodreads to Promote Thier Book http://ow.ly/qLe4R  

Happy writing & running, Kathy