Emotional Connections

When you watch a Hallmark commercial do you feel a connection with the actors in it?  Do you believe they are real people experiencing an event in their lives and not actors at all?  Does it tug at your heart or bring you to tears?  If it does, then the advertiser has succeeded in creating an emotional connection between you and the actors on the screen.

In your writing one of your goals should be to create the same kind of connection between your characters and your readers.  That doesn't mean your characters all have to be lovable.  Quite the contrary!  In fact you may want your readers to hate a character, fear him, feel sorry for him or relate to him (or her).  The key is that your reader makes an emotional connection on some level.

There are a number of ways you can accomplish this.  For example, what is it about your protagonist that makes her real?  Perhaps she is married with children and is trying to be a super mom and wife.  Perhaps she has a high pressure job and the stress is giving her anxiety attacks.  If your reader can recognize herself in a character then it becomes easier to connect.  

A reader who connects with your characters is more likely to beg for a sequel or hope for a movie or recommend your book to friends.  If your characters are flat and one dimensional they are easily forgotten and less likely to inspire your readers to want more. 

Happy trails,

Leslie