Paper Dolls

Paper dolls

Remember when you, your sister, or a friend played with paper dolls.  Their clothes changed depending on the task or activity.  However, their expression always remained the same. They were always happy, smiling no matter what the circumstances.  They were never worried, sad or fearful. They were fun to play with. No sorrow affected them. No tragedy touched them. You could leave a paper doll for a day, a month or a year. When you decided to play with them, again they always had the same expression.

Sometimes we as writers have a problem creating believable characters. The ones creative in our writing can be paper dolls or cardboard character.  Having no depth no real feelings.  A person’s childhood colors how they react to a situation.  Past failures made them cautious of making decisions.  They ache for love yet are fearful of rejection.  Are they driven by a desire for wealth or power?  How does this affect their family life?  Are they addicted to drugs and long to be free?  Are they hiding something in their past, terrified this indiscretion will be exposed. Do they weep in the middle of the night when no one hears.  If they are fired, lose a child or go through a divorce do they react with the same feelings as your next-door neighbor.  As you write, do their emotions touch you?  Do tears come to your eyes as they weep at the casket of their loved one?  Do you rejoice with them as they are united in marriage?  As they face danger, does their fear touch your heart? As you write an action scene does your heart beat faster? Do you feel the excitement of the chase? Are you the hunter or the hunted? Do you lose track of time? Do you get lost in the story?

What about the villain?  What kind of person are they?  What made them the person they are?  What is behind their actions?  Are they mentally unstable?  If so, why?  Can your reader hate them yet also feel sad for them?  No person is born with hatred in their heart, something has happened to make your villain this way.  Find out what it is. Even the villain is human and has those who love them.

 If your characters live and breathe, weep and laugh your novel will come alive.  If we as the authors do not feel the emotions of our characters neither will the reader.