HOW TO CREATE AN INSTANTLY LIKABLE CHARACTER

Sometimes you are not meant to like the protagonist right away, and there are many varying ways to produce a likable character. But most of the time it is a very good idea to make your main character admired, or at least respected, by the readers in the first 10-15% of the book.
There is an excellent example in Jamaica Inn, Daphne Du Maurier, that I personally appreciated on a huge level, and made the entire book more enjoyable because I knew almost immediately that Mary Yellen was someone I could root for and admire no matter what happened.
CREATE A SINGLE, PHOTOGRAPHABLE MOMENT
After the death of her mother, Mary goes to stay with Aunt Patience and her husband, the land lord of the notorious Jamaica Inn. But upon arrival she is revolted by her uncle, the horrid inn and the altered character of the happy, silly aunt she remembered.
Mary is resolved to leave that very night. But the moment she steps out of her room she hears the wretched, tormented sobbing of her miserable aunt.
Mary does not hesitate. She realizes how terrible her aunt’s life has been and she immediately changes her mind. She resolves to stay and bear the torture of Jamaica Inn if only to rescue her aunt.
Daphne Du Maurier’s lyrical and expressive prose describes this moment beautifully and poignantly without stating the obvious or telling. Every moment is shown and you are completely drawn into the horrible world, experiencing first hand Mary Yellen's emotions.
One precise moment in the arc of your character can make or break the readers' relationship with the main character.
A respected character not only makes the story more enjoyable, it strengthens the bond between character and reader and makes it all the more memorable.
SO. . . HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
This part also serves as Mary’s “point of no return”, the moment when there is no turning back, and the heroine takes on the plot in full force.
Step 1: Create a moment in your story where your protagonist must make a defining decision, ideally between two negative alternatives.
Step 2: Make this decision an important deciding factor in whether or not the protagonist will go on. That moment should instantly define them and set them on a course about which the entire story is about.
What is your protagonist's moment of no return? Will readers' love 'em, hate 'em or admire them from afar?

Comments

  1. Found this EXTREMELY helpful, Kayla! Thanks! I found it on pinterest, and tracked it back to this post on your blog, and I just wanted to say that it is AMAZINGLY helpful! I have an idea of how to use this advice... Thanks, K!

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  2. Thank you! You are welcome! Glad you found it helpful. :)

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  3. Thanks! This was very helpful! I am a very young writer... not even a teen yet... but this is really helping me improve the plot of my novel! Thanks again! (=

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  4. I'm a young writer too, and I'm going to find a way to use this to help me uncover the main events that are going to happen in my plo

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  5. Thank you so much!! This has been very helpful, encouraging and inspiring! Ideas are swirling around in my mind! Thanks again

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    1. Thank you for reading! I'm so glad you found it helpful. Keep that inspiration coming!

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  6. so we need to overwrite the moment a bit?

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    1. If by overwrite you mean milking the scene for all it's worth, yes. But it doesn't have to be a huge long paragraph or even a page. A few simple, meaningful words that spell out the moment and make it poignant is all you need.

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  7. but what if I want the readers to like the antagonist?

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    1. The same principle can definitely apply. It can even make the revelation that the character is the antagonist more surprising (if there is such a revelation) or the antagonists imminent defeat much more painful.

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  8. Good advice. I'm going to use this as I develop the inner workings of my protagonist.

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  9. how to make it sound that. the antagonist is a good guy even when he /she is not?

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  10. This is actually very helpful thank you 💛

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