Is it weird to fall in love with a character?

Why do we find characters entertaining? What about them touches us, making us angry or sad? Well the quick answer is development. Tyrion Lannister is compelling because we feel like we know him outside of the pages we read. We root for Kahlan Amnell and Richard Rhal to find a happily ever after because we can see their love and relate to the struggles life puts on a relationship.

Now, I'm going to dive into a little philosophy here so please bare with me. When a philosopher like Plato for example speaks of individuals they are talking about personality and personality resides in the soul. By soul they refer to the metaphysical aspect of reality. Big words and larger concepts I know, but what that boils down to is who we are transcend what we appear as and what we are. In that respect we can separate the character on paper into a mental representation and interact with them through imagination.

I don't mean we can have real romantic relationships with these characters, but I do think well developed characters move beyond the fictional setting we create for them and share a more personal existence in the reader's mind. This is key for successful works of fiction. No one wants to read about John Smith the postal worker who sells stamps from 9 to 5 then goes home. Sure some of us may relate, but there is no substance. Where is he from? Who does he hang out with? Does he have a favorite color? The internet if full of lists of questions an author should know about their characters. Why, because these questions are the building blocks of personality, that topic I talked about up top when I introduced the scary philosophy. Does John Smith's favorite color have to come into the story? No, but it may help develop him when he sells a geometric shape stamp with the color combination of pink and brown. Does he like it or not and more importantly does he tell the customer his opinion?

But personality is more than likes and dislikes. How does one react in certain situations, can tell you a lot about a character. Personally, I am not a fan of Rand al'Thor in the Wheel of Time series. His reactions to the situations he is put in don't mesh with mine and that's okay. He is still a well crafted character because I can say I don't like him and give reasons. Some may find Geralt of Rivia impersonal and unlikeable because he is a gruff man who only likes to kill things. What is important to remember is no one loves every person they come in contact with either. When writing characters we must remember that not all of them need to be Chandler Bing off of Friends. Some can be Janice or Shallan Davar.

Back to responses to situations with characters. This is where those list of questions comes into play mostly, I think. What fears do characters have? What response do they give when that fear is inserted into a scene? Once that is discovered, the question becomes what created that fear? For our character John Smith, the postal employee lets give him a fear of papercuts. Now while he is selling a book of stamps the page cuts him. How does he react? Maybe he leaves the window and runs to the bathroom hyperventilating or maybe he simply stares at the trickle of blood dripping off the wound. Then maybe he just asks to go home for medical reasons. Each scenario can introduce a piece of backstory that develops the character by building a foundation for their personality.

One last paragraph, then I promise we will wrap it up. In the situation above John Smith runs to the bathroom hyperventilating over a papercut. Why? Let's say when he was young and coloring outside his finger is cut with a piece of paper he accidentally laid in dung. Any kind will do in this scenario I think. Well that simple papercut forces a young John Smith to get a nasty infection and lose his finger. (Whichever finger you want). Now as an adult he relives the trauma of losing one of his digits. Does that make him likeable? Not necessarily. It may even make the reader believe he is melodramatic, but this is true of all two-dimensional characters. One interesting trait isn't enough to engage a reader. We are more than one interesting factoid. We are the boring and fascinating parts of our lives. Our job as authors is to pull those elements from our characters and show them to the reader.

Tyrion is presented as an imp, but he is also extremely intelligent, doesn't get along with his sister, and loves his brother. He desires a chance to be great, but is inadequate in a physical altercation. Later he is disfigured, but his sense of humor is unapparelled. All of these elements make him one of fictions most beloved characters. Remember these attributes don't have to come out in the first draft, but keep the development of a character in mind when writing.

Until next time!!