Help for an Unlikable Character by Rachel Hauck

Rachel Hauck

Happy Monday, writers. Has anyone ever told you your main character isn't likable? Rachel Hauck is here with some great tips to help us write them so readers will root for them. Read on! ~ Annette

Help for an Unlikable Character

by Rachel Hauck

No one starts out to create an unlikeable character. But in the course of inventing conflict and flaws, adding tension and motivation, we sometimes create narrow, slightly negative heroes and heroines.

One of my first submissions to my earliest agent came back to me with: “I don’t like the heroine.”

When I braved an e-mail to ask about it, she said, “Just make her more sympathetic.”

Oh, okay… Now how do I do that?

I got practical. What makes me like someone? What makes me likeable? What makes me like a character?

Compassion. Sense of humor. A sense of strength, even if they are in a hard place. An idea of where they want to go. Who they want to be.

Likeable flaws. Yes, there is such a thing!

If you’re getting feedback that your characters are unlikeable, consider that you’re not allowing enough of their true inner journey/inner struggle show.

Here are a couple of reasons why your character might not be likeable:

1.                       You’ve not done enough emotional character work. What are his fears, dreams, goals. What’s the lie he believes? What happened in his past that shaped him at the time of the story opening? What internal journey do you want him to go on?

2.                      You’re trying to be funny but it’s coming across snarky. I’ve seen this a lot. Writers trying to quip and be cute, but it ends up sounding rude and mean. So make sure you’re humor isn’t attacking or making fun of other characters.

3.                      You’re not giving enough character history and motivation for why the protagonist is doing what he’s doing. If he’s robbing a bank, show the reader it’s because he’s at wits end to find a way to ransom his kidnapped wife.

4.                      Last reason why your protagonist might not be likeable: you don’t have a definitive story goal. What does she want in this story? What will she do at the end she couldn’t do at the beginning?

So, what tangible things can you do to make your characters more likeable?

1.                      Give her an endearing flaw. What if she’s so black and white she doesn’t understand any of life’s gray issues? That becomes part of the story journey and character development.

2.                     Put the hero in a sympathetic situation. Instead of having him instigating something, have him reacting to a situation he finds himself in. For example, my unwed father character finally gets a chance to meet his daughters. It’s been ten years. Why mess up his life, and theirs, now? But he’s been given the opportunity and as uncomfortable as it is, he’s going to take it. Sure, he got himself into it, but given the chance to do the right thing, he does.

3.                      Give her a noble quest and cause. What good thing does she want in the story? In the scene? Even if your protagonist finds herself in an odd spot, what good does she want to come from it?

4.                      Create dialog with secondary character that reveals the protagonist’s true identity. Even if he’s in the middle of robbing a bank, show how he’s doing so to rescue his wife. He’s desperate. We see lots of characters we like in this kind of tight situation but we cheer for them. We know good will somehow come of it.

Watch movies, read books with edgy protagonists. What makes you like and cheer for the characters? Study likeable characters then apply what you learn to your characters.

Happy Writing.

~~~~~

Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck

Princess Ever After released February 4, 2014

Regina Beswick was born to be a princess. But she’s content to be a small-town girl, running a classic auto restoration shop, unaware a secret destiny awaits her. One that will leap from the pages of her grandmother’s hand-painted book of fairytales. Tanner Burkhardt is the stoic Minister of Culture for the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg. When he is tasked to retrieve the long-lost princess, he must overcome his fear of failure in order to secure his nation’s future—and his own. Yet lurking in the political shadows is a fierce opponent with sinister plans to abolish the throne forever. Overwhelmed with opposition, Regina must decide if she’s destined to restore old cars or an ancient nation. Together—with a little divine intervention—Regina and Tanner discover the truth of her heritage and the healing power of true love.

~~~~~

Learn more about best-selling and award-winning author, Rachel Hauck at her website. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelhauck

Twitter: @RachelHauck

My Journey to Publication by Carole Towriss

Carole Towriss

Those of us who have been writing for a while know that it takes tenacity to keep moving down the road to publication. It’s rare that an author experiences overnight success and makes it “big.” Can you accept that? Author Carole Towriss understands what it takes. Today, she shares her personal journey and what she’s learned along the way. 

~ Dawn

My Journey to Publication

by Carole Towriss

“Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9, Good News Translation

Four times in the first chapter of Joshua God tells Joshua to “be strong and of good courage.”

I'm sure you don’t want to hear that that doesn’t necessarily mean He has called you to be a best-selling author of millions of copies of dozens of novels. Maybe it does—but you’ll never know unless you keep writing and finish that manuscript.

I started my first book over twenty-five years ago. I got stuck in the research—no internet then, and most of the books I needed were out of print. We were trying to get pregnant and that took a lot of my time and emotional energy, so I put it away for about twenty years. I took it back up again around four years ago, and found an online critique group. I hadn’t heard of ACFW, so this was a secular historical fiction group. I must have submitted that first chapter seven or eight times. 

One lady was so patient with me—I would see her pages in my inbox and literally not open them for three days because I knew they’d be covered in red track change boxes. A couple times they even made me cry. But she taught me POV. Well, I finally got it figured out, finished the manuscript and went to Mt Hermon. I submitted three pages to an agent who told me if it were Amish fiction she could sell it in a heartbeat, but alas, I wrote biblical fiction. She asked for the full but I never heard from her again. I did get published with a small publisher about a year later.

A couple months ago a sweet lady told me when she read my book it brought her to tears. When she got to the part when the hero finally realizes that all the hard parts of his life had been ordained by God, and were necessary for the huge task God had for him, she cried. She’d experienced some very difficult things and felt that message was for her.

I’ll probably always be a small fish in the big publishing pond, but that’s OK. I’m where God wants me, doing what He wants me to do. And that’s enough. I don’t know what’s God’s plan is for you, specifically, but He does. And I have no doubt He’ll take you there. All you have to do is be determined, and trust in Him.

Tweetables:

It’s okay to be a small fish in a big pond if that’s where God wants you. Click to tweet.

God has a specific plan for you, and he’ll take you there. Click to tweet.

By the Waters of Kadesh

By the Waters of Kadesh

Kamose, once Egypt’s most trusted soldier, no longer has a country to serve or king to protect. Moses insists God has a plan for him, but Kamose is not so sure. Tirzah’s cruel husband died shortly after they left Egypt. She escaped his brutality, but now she’s alone, and once they reach their new land, how will she survive? Gaddiel, Tirzah’s brother-in-law, is chosen as one of the twelve spies sent to scout out Canaan. He’s supposed to go in, get information and come back, but all he really wants is to bring down Joshua.

Carole Towriss grew up in beautiful San Diego, California. Now she and her husband live just north of Washington, DC. In between making tacos and telling her four children to pick up their shoes for the third time, she reads, writes, watches chick flicks and waits for summertime to return to the beach. She is the author of biblical novels In the Shadow of Sinai and By the Waters of Kadesh.

You can learn more and connect online with Carole here:

Website/Blog

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Avoiding the Pitfalls Historical Fiction – Part Two by Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Two weeks ago, Amanda Cabot offered pitfalls in writing historical fiction. If you missed it, you can catch it here. This week, she's back with part 2. Enjoy!
~Dora

Welcome back! I’m delighted that you’re here for the second (and last) part of the historical fiction pitfall discussion. There’s no quiz today, because I’m certain that when you read the next selection, you’ll know immediately what’s wrong. This is the more than slightly modified opening scene of Paper Roses, the first of my Texas Dreams books.

March 1856

“It’ll be all right.” Sarah Dobbs wrapped her arms around the child, wishing with all her heart that she could believe the words she’d uttered so often. The truth was, it didn’t matter what she believed. All that mattered was keeping Thea safe. And so Sarah knelt on the hard-packed dirt of San Antonio’s main street to wipe the tears from her sister’s cheeks. The child was hot, tired and excited by the unusual sights, a combination that turned normally sweet-tempered Thea querulous.

Thea was too young to appreciate San Antonio’s rich history. The original Spanish settlement of San Antonio de Valero, named for the Viceroy, was founded in the same year as the French began New Orleans. Located just below the Balcones Escarpment, it had the advantage of a mild, dry, healthful climate; plentiful water and an abundance of limestone for building. In 1721 Valero himself sent a force of 54 soldiers to build a strong fort, what many would call a presidio, nearby. They named the fort San Antonio de Bejar, in memory of Valero’s brother, and by 1726 more than 200 men, women and children inhabited the area. Indians, of course, were not included in that count, although by the middle of the century, each of the five missions in the San Antonio region had more than 200 Indians.

The dominant tribes in Texas were the Apaches and the Comanches. The Spaniards were never able to conquer the first, and the second gave them the greatest defeat they ever suffered at the hands of natives in the New World. But all that had occurred over a hundred years ago. Now the city was part of the great state of Texas, the state that would soon be her home and Thea’s.

Are you yawning? Or did you decide that this was what a friend calls a wallbanger, a book that’s so bad that you hurl it against the wall rather than read it? I’ll admit that I’ve exaggerated the problem, but I’ve judged enough contests to know that including too much history is a common problem.

It’s easy to understand why it happens. We do extensive research and we find so many fascinating details that we want to share them with readers. Unfortunately, heavy-handed infusion of history has the effect of boring readers, including those critical first readers: agents and editors.

So, how do you know what details to include and when? There are undoubtedly other ways to make that decision, but I suggest following three rules.

1. Remember that less is more. When you include historical facts, select the ones that are most critical. In many cases, these will be little-known facts that you’ve chosen to weave into your plot. If one of Sarah’s ancestors was one of the 54 soldiers who’d built the original fort, that would be the fact that I would have included, but rather than simply inserting the fact, I would have followed rule #2.

2. Ensure that each piece of history affects the character in some way. One of the problems with the passage above is that the paragraphs of historical facts have no tie to either Sarah or Thea. Consider the difference if I’d said, “Thea was too young to appreciate San Antonio’s rich history, but Sarah couldn’t dismiss the thrill that ran up her spine at the realization that she was only yards away from the fort her great-grandfather had helped build. Mother had raised her with tales of how Great Grandpa was one of the 54 soldiers the Viceroy had sent to build the presidio.” In this case, there was a reason to have included that particular detail, and so the reader doesn’t feel as if she’s being force-fed history.

3. And, most importantly, remember that you’re writing a novel. Your primary goal is to entertain. Readers do not expect a history lesson. As you edit your manuscript, look at each piece of research you’ve included and ask yourself, “Will the story make sense without this?” If the answer is “yes,” delete it.

There’s no doubt that there are challenges involved in writing historical fiction and pitfalls to be avoided, but from my perspective there’s nothing quite so enjoyable as being transported to a different time and place. If you’ve always dreamt of telling stories about times gone by, I encourage you to make that dream come true. I’m looking forward to seeing your books on the shelves!

With Autumn's Return
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She’s planning on instant success. What she didn’t plan on was love.

When Elizabeth Harding arrives in Cheyenne to open a medical practice, she is confident that the future is as bright as the warm Wyoming sun. Certain she’ll have a line of patients eager for her services, she soon discovers the town may not welcome a new physician—especially a female one. Even Jason Nordling, the handsome young attorney next door, seems to disapprove of her chosen profession.

When a web of deceit among Cheyenne’s wealthiest residents threatens to catch Elizabeth and Jason in its snare, they must risk working together to save one of Elizabeth’s patients, even if it means falling in love.

From the time that she was seven, Amanda Cabot dreamed of becoming a published author, but it was only when she set herself the goal of selling a book by her thirtieth birthday that the dream came true.  A former director of Information Technology, Amanda has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages.  She’s delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian historical romances.  Her Texas Dreams trilogy received critical acclaim; Christmas Roses was a CBA bestseller; and a number of her books have been finalists for national awards, including ACFW’s Carol award. 

www.amandacabot.com

http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com

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