1. Transfer What You Feel to Characters -- Some people have asked me what led to me writing my first novel. I answered that I was lonely, and the main character was lonely. As I wrote, she absorbed my loneliness. Then, it was gone from her too. Have you noticed that sometimes our characters take on what we are feeling at the time of writing? Fiction is a great way to release those anxieties and fears we have every day because we can put them into the characters. If you are feeling sunshine and rainbows, your characters might be too.
2. Give Them Great Food to Eat -- What your characters eat tells a lot about who they are as people. Characters who eat canned vegetables or meats probably are poor and live in modern times. Characters who have private chefs and lavish meals are usually rich. They could live during any period. Then, there are the characters in the middle. Food also let you know region, country or culture. My books are set in Philadelphia, so my characters eat cheesesteaks. You can let them eat soul food or spicy food. Barbecued meats is linked to Texas most often, but really could be anywhere there is a lot of grilling. If they eat from the land, they could be influenced by their culture. Explore the foods your character eats to let people understand them better and relate to them.
3. Make Them Courageous and Strong -- For most books, you want at least some female characters to balance the story even in novels that are predominately male-oriented. These women should have their own opinions and dreams. They should have courage and strength to withstand pain or suffering. You don't want them to come across as a doormat, but in some cases, that would be authentic. Many mysteries will have characters like that because they are being controlled by a man. My female characters are all smart and brave.
4. Give Them Flaws -- The most believable characters have some flaws. All humans have flaws. Therefore, your characters should also have flaws. Even if your characters are animals with human traits, they should have flaws. In many cases, they will have to overcome those flaws or change before the book ends. My first book character was lonely. My second book character was afraid of water. My third book character felt vulnerable and hated men. My fourth book character didn't let anyone be a part of her life. Often, those flaws hinder the main character's goals. How they overcome their flaws or use their weaknesses matter in a story. I have a character who had to learn to trust again before she could find true love. Another had to face her fear of water to save the man she loves.
5. Give Them Unique Abilities -- To make them relatable, characters should have a superpower. In some genre's superpowers are real, but I am referring to the special traits that make your characters unique. Besides the physical traits, characters should have unique personalities and talents. For example, you might write mysteries where the main character is great at running an inn or has a hobby in baking or gardening. These special traits will be relatable to people who share those same passions. Make them have common sense too.
6. Make Them Grieve -- We are all human. Everyone experiences loss of some kind. Therefore, characters must grieve. They also sometimes have to die. How you handle the death depends on what the book is and how it fits your story. Authors often feel real grief over killing favorite characters, but if it is necessary, you should do it. In my 1776 Bed and Breakfast, my main character's mother had to die to move the story along. It was sad for my characters. Don't be afraid to let a character die if it moves the story. The main character had to grieve to understand others' grief.
You also want to do spring cleaning in your home or office. When you clear your space, you clear your mind to allow those character flaws to shine through your writing. The time change is a good reminder that it is time to renew your desk from the clutter.
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