By Milica Filipovic
The reading community online and in person thrives off readers’ connections to the imaginary characters we follow through books. As a young writer, I’ve had to notice how to market my characters towards audiences in ways that’ll build long lasting bonds with readers. There are two aspects that come into play here: Why do we need these attachments and how can we ensure they are made?
To start, we must understand how these attachments are formed. This emotional relationship is directly related to psychology. As my professor would gladly quote, psychology is the basis of human interaction. When we accompany a character through the ups and downs of their lives, our brains develop an empathetic connection. You are feeling and understanding the character’s emotions and their actions in response to them. This feeling can be altered by writers to evoke specific types of relationships with their reader.
This is where your part comes in as the creator of your own story and its meaning. You have certain characters you want readers to resonate with and in order to do so, you must use psychology as a tool. Let the way our minds work be your critic. Attempt to observe your work from the perspective of an outsider, if you cannot sympathize with your characters then neither will your readers.
Avoiding this issue is easy. Simply make your characters normal. This doesn’t mean taking away all their unusual aspects or abilities but simply making sure that these unique traits aren’t their only ones. Give them normal mannerisms, gestures, or quirks. Maybe they interrupt others in conversation, or perhaps they get so lost in their thoughts that they dissociate during events.
Furthermore, don’t be afraid to make them imperfect. A flawless character often falls under the archetype of a Mary Sue, a character talented at everything with no shortcomings. No one wants to read about a person who’s got everything going for them, give your readers the dark and grim details. Characters are impacted by their pasts, this should be resembled in the way they are perceived. Even if they seem perfect, it is likely they’ve got something else. For all we know, Mary Sue could’ve been extremely arrogant because she had everything going on. Maybe she was an egotist. Explore that side of your characters and let it be known to your readers.
The bond between readers and characters is rooted deeply in our psychology, driven by empathy and human interaction. As a writer, leveraging this knowledge is crucial to crafting characters that resonate and endure in the minds of your audience. Don’t let fear be a barrier for your creative mind. It's the nuances and flaws that make characters memorable and their journeys impactful.
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