Last Week’s WW: Three Rules for Series

This is true in life and in writing.  People don’t want to watch perfect characters.  They want to see their flaws.  Yes, readers want to love your protagonist.  But it’s also okay if they hate them, for the right reasons.  You can have a protagonist that no one likes, personally, but still find compelling enough to root for.   

If you create a character that’s perfect, well, then, you’ve taken all of the tension out of your book.  There’s no obstacles, no threat, no danger.  If you put your character in impossible situations, which they easily get out of with no complications or at least challenges, then what’s the point of going on with the story?  They’re perfect, they win at fictional life, no matter the odds.

Don’t try to be perfect.  Make your characters real.  Make them as dirty or broken as you like.  Make them as reserved or super clever as you want.  Just make them real and relatable.