tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post5922737808301755532..comments2024-03-29T03:42:04.742-04:00Comments on Author, Jody Hedlund: 3 Key Ways to Create Characters That Grip Readers' HeartsJody Hedlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12424307540530719614noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-35364763402252811702012-07-28T20:40:18.279-04:002012-07-28T20:40:18.279-04:00Glad the post resonated! I do allow re-posting wit...Glad the post resonated! I do allow re-posting with links back to the original post and my bio. If you'd like to email me for the info., let me know! jodyhedlund (at) jodyhedlund (dot) comJody Hedlundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12424307540530719614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-83568659576980391982012-07-28T17:40:06.558-04:002012-07-28T17:40:06.558-04:00Jody,
I really liked this post. I think you hit th...Jody,<br />I really liked this post. I think you hit the nail on the head (pardon the cliche) with this one. My MC in Murder in Cyprus Hollow has argued and disagreed with her younger sister since birth. They are still arguing as adults, yet it's obvious to the reader how much the MC loves her sister and is willing to do whatever it takes to help her. <br /><br />May I re-post this blog post on my blog?M. J. Maciehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14227988613543731433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-24330228482950164742012-07-28T11:32:18.299-04:002012-07-28T11:32:18.299-04:00This is a lovely post :)I'm not a fan of chara...This is a lovely post :)I'm not a fan of characters who just whine and expect the problem to go away,and never do anything about the problem.That's what inspired me to make the MC of my story someone who is unlike that. He's been through a lot,and some of it is his own fault.But he soon realises that the only way he can combat these problems is if he works hard to get rid of them. :) I enjoyed reading this,now I can work on making my MC a chracter readers will really like. :DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-30594124795548192212012-07-24T23:16:22.016-04:002012-07-24T23:16:22.016-04:00Great post, Jody! I have a protagonist who has a h...Great post, Jody! I have a protagonist who has a huge ego AND a soft spot for those not as fortunate as himself and for those he considers close friends. He's had family problems, is facing war, but he has a big heart. My crit group is in love with him, so I'm taking that as a sign that I'm following your advice.Char Newcombhttp://charlenenewcomb.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-79884018963400609152012-07-23T21:40:31.220-04:002012-07-23T21:40:31.220-04:00Thanks for the words of encouragement, Karen! :-)Thanks for the words of encouragement, Karen! :-)Jody Hedlundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12424307540530719614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-645315950908170582012-07-23T20:28:05.329-04:002012-07-23T20:28:05.329-04:00I love these points, Jody, and I appreciate you br...I love these points, Jody, and I appreciate you breaking it down like this. I just finished a book that I really enjoyed, and I can see where these elements came into play. I may need to bookmark this. :)<br /><br />Thanks and blessings,<br />KarenKaren Langehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18177923284595298347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-3023268332647073452012-07-23T09:48:45.129-04:002012-07-23T09:48:45.129-04:00This is so critical - and there seems to be an epi...This is so critical - and there seems to be an epidemic of it, even in the big best sellers. I'd just about decided the problem was me. I rarely find characters I love anymore. Nice to know I'm not the only one feeling this. (BTW - I DO find characters I love from time to time. Yours for instance.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-11520561364175622902012-07-22T15:46:22.177-04:002012-07-22T15:46:22.177-04:00You make such a good point about why readers care ...You make such a good point about why readers care about a main character. No one likes self-centered characters in the real world. It makes sense they wouldn't empathize with a self-centered MC, but it's easy to lose sight of that when creating obstacles for the MC to overcome. Thanks for a good reminder.Elizabeth Varadan, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708206753256682635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-42573022847728813402012-07-21T23:21:47.812-04:002012-07-21T23:21:47.812-04:00I was recently singing the praises of Ernest Cline...I was recently singing the praises of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, so a friend lent me a book with a similar techie/gamer theme. But I didn't like the second book. While thye two books had a lot in common, I didn't care about the main character (or any of them, really) in that one.<br /><br />That made me respect what Cline did even more, because I saw that when the overall plot is about technology and virtual reality, it could be easy to lose the emotional ties to the characters. But because Parzival (the main character) really cares about his gamer friends, even though he's never met them in real life, the reader cares about all of them as well.<br /><br />Now, what to say to my friend when he asks how I liked the book he lent me...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-6407811004390364162012-07-21T15:58:41.746-04:002012-07-21T15:58:41.746-04:00Strangely, I have recently fallen in love with a b...Strangely, I have recently fallen in love with a bunch of what I have termed perfectly flawed characters (Abercrombie's The First Law Trilogy). At first I wasn't wild about them at all but the writing was so good that I persisted. Now I care very much about these awful people and precisely because they've done some of the things you mentioned above. Excellent post.mshatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308916014310536449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-36446053452320351102012-07-21T10:03:47.388-04:002012-07-21T10:03:47.388-04:00Great post Jody!
The MC's I've fallen in l...Great post Jody!<br />The MC's I've fallen in love with the most are those who are willing to sacrifice, surrender, risk being misunderstood for the sake of justice, truth, and love. They are more interested in letting their actions and choices prove these things than their words or promises. Like Nathaniel in The Last of the Mohicans, or Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice. <br /><br />I too have recently read a book where the MC was more milk-toast than a flawed overcomer. He kept making mistakes the moved the plot but made him look pathetic when he berated himself and told the heroine how sorry he was over and over--sounds more like a girl! I could have stood the mistakes, but he never did that larger than life heroic deed. I think the author was trying for solid, steady, faithful traits of strength the heroine fell for, but for me it wasn't enough. He seemed more like a puppy who followed her around. <br /><br />These are great points to keep in mind for where I am now in my current WIP. Time to dig deeper!Anne Lovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164218328146605384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-32474337792792403802012-07-20T08:01:27.804-04:002012-07-20T08:01:27.804-04:00I've had problems with some of the same type o...I've had problems with some of the same type of books out there: the characters don't make you care about them. This can be deadly for a novel. I work to make my own characters whole--sometimes I have to remove others from the book, I have so many, and that can be a problem too. Overruning your reader with a population of fictional people. Every step we take, we have to focus on what makes an individual a hero/heroine.Great advice!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-58835085320252926842012-07-20T02:14:37.866-04:002012-07-20T02:14:37.866-04:00I totally agree with you, especially the part abou...I totally agree with you, especially the part about how the MC has to care about other people. I read a book recently that I didn't like very much because the MC viewed all the other supporting characters primarily as people who could "support" her whenever she needed them. It's really hard to like a book if I don't like the MC, and I've read more than one like that.Neurotic Workaholichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06775298184138766683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-52509110349015779992012-07-19T20:59:03.137-04:002012-07-19T20:59:03.137-04:00Yet another great post! I'm currently reworkin...Yet another great post! I'm currently reworking some of my stories and finding that my characters are in need of a major overhaul. I'll definitely be keeping all your points in mind. Thanks Jody. :)Debbiehttp://debbie-johansson.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-50634004323408062142012-07-19T17:50:53.840-04:002012-07-19T17:50:53.840-04:00Completely agree!!!Completely agree!!!Jessica Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12365768876905444157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-20606325156781399552012-07-19T17:04:42.114-04:002012-07-19T17:04:42.114-04:00Hey, everyone! Glad the post is resonating today! ...Hey, everyone! Glad the post is resonating today! I'm definitely keeping all these points in mind too as I begin plotting and researching my next book. It's a tricky balance to make our characters flawed and yet still likable!Jody Hedlundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12424307540530719614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-19236282126290541432012-07-19T15:44:46.552-04:002012-07-19T15:44:46.552-04:00Thank you, Jody! You've inspired me to give on...Thank you, Jody! You've inspired me to give one of my main characters a dog. It seems to me that's another way to give a character someone to love - especially if they're single & on their own. Since this character is a somewhat closed-off workaholic, I hope introducing a pet will show her softer side. . . .Sharynhttp://www.facebook.com/Spinsterednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-13959892947891711872012-07-19T14:44:14.667-04:002012-07-19T14:44:14.667-04:00Thanks for another good article.Thanks for another good article.Karina Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05568846753356354197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-16143842920356875722012-07-19T13:50:51.896-04:002012-07-19T13:50:51.896-04:00I loved the post today, Jody! Very encouraging abo...I loved the post today, Jody! Very encouraging about what we can be doing to suck people into our stories and characters. I just started writing a new story, by nature of the setting and my hero's goal, he's doing the first two things right off the bat. I'll have to keep in mind to bring out his strengths. I'm usually one who sacrifices strengths on the altar of conflict. Then my crit partner tells me that my character is completely unlikable in a certain scene. Sigh . . .<br /><br />Hope you're enjoying your summer!Naomi Rawlingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02431203734855694561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-6328476152867680502012-07-19T11:34:11.818-04:002012-07-19T11:34:11.818-04:00I really loved this post and put it on my FB page ...I really loved this post and put it on my FB page too. As I work on revisions I shall be thinking of all these points. Thank you.Carol McGrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-6229821680468718542012-07-19T11:03:03.689-04:002012-07-19T11:03:03.689-04:00Great stuff, Jody. I think I struggle to create he...Great stuff, Jody. I think I struggle to create heroines who are flawed but not too flawed. This really spoke to me today. Thank you!Lindsay Harrelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09379628592162011068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-11327564037418215652012-07-19T10:50:21.784-04:002012-07-19T10:50:21.784-04:00I took notes as I read this post! I've been so...I took notes as I read this post! I've been so plot driven with my WIP that I'm afraid my characters aren't quite up to par - so I'm working on it and this post is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks, again, Jody!Gabrielle Meyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12479898337766911768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-91445965234959705702012-07-19T10:49:06.734-04:002012-07-19T10:49:06.734-04:00I find it more difficult to make the 'bad guy&...I find it more difficult to make the 'bad guy' multi-faceted. They're not the POV character so we don't easily find out their thoughts and as a lesser character they receive limited 'air time'. I felt I succeeded in one of my books in making a sympathetic villain but I realize I haven't done it consistently in others.Cynthia Washburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03872674307948362400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-72838809773578983672012-07-19T10:41:23.115-04:002012-07-19T10:41:23.115-04:00I don't think that first one can be underestim...I don't think that first one can be underestimated! I was writing a scene recently where my MC shows affection to a younger sibling - and I realized how much more I liked him because of that one scene, and I already like him! <br /><br />And then I got to thinking about how sometimes I read books and can't stand the MCs, and it's usually because the author expects me to care about *them* even though these characters don't seem to care about anyone else. <br /><br />I don't think MCs always have to have empathy for other people, but it's certainly less risky to do so.Annalise Greenhttp://annalisegreen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539581256374625880.post-80320789164089419602012-07-19T10:32:39.659-04:002012-07-19T10:32:39.659-04:00Hi Ganise!
Yes, I recently finished a book and tu...Hi Ganise!<br /><br />Yes, I recently finished a book and turned it in to my publisher. I tried to have my heroine caring for someone else within the first quarter of the book. Amidst her personal problems and the growing tensions around her, I tried to have her focus outside herself. Hopefully I accomplished that! I've yet to hear back from my editors on how they feel about the story! <br /><br />Currently, I'm beginning to research my next book. And all of the above points are certainly things I'll be keeping in mind as I shape my characters and plot out the first quarter of the book!<br /><br />Thanks for asking! Blessings!Jody Hedlundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12424307540530719614noreply@blogger.com