I had a hard time explaining why I felt this way. It's just a feeling. You either connect or you don't. And personally, if I don't connect by the end of the first chapter or scene break, I won't keep reading. For this book, though, I did keep reading because I wanted to be able to participate in the discussion at book club. But I struggled with it. A lot. And I only got half-way through the book before giving up.
The novel was relatively short and simplistic in style, so it wasn't that I couldn't read it. The problem was that I couldn't get through it. There's a difference.
And it's all just my opinion. I don't argue opinions. The group seemed a bit divided on certain points and completely agreed on certain others. I can appreciate that each reader will respond to the same story in their own unique way, and this is why book club discussions are kind of addictive.
As a writer, though, this can be extremely frustrating. How do you connect with your reader?
1. Define your audience. Who are you writing for? Teens? Adults? Children? Pick one, and then narrow it down even more. Divorced women over 40? Girls with eating disorders? Men seeking escape through space opera? Teen guys preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse? The more you know about your audience, the better you will be able to serve them.
2. Define your main character. Who is this person? What makes him/her worth following? If the viewpoint character's personality is too vague, your reader will have trouble forming an opinion one way or another, resulting in overall dislike. Even if the MC starts out with some very unlikeable qualities, many readers understand that this means the character will change over the course of the story, so they keep reading to see just how that change happens. This is exactly the reason why I kept reading BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver. I outright hated Sam and her friends at the beginning, and that novel ended up being one of my favorite books of 2010. The characterization was clear from page one, providing a foundation on which the story could build.
3. Focus on the primal. What is the MC's main underlying goal? If it is unclear, or it is not basic enough, the reader won't connect. While the characterization needs to be unique and specific, the main goal that drives the plot should be something any human can relate to. But it won't be defined as such in actual words in the story. It's a feeling you get while reading. An understanding.
A few examples that can connect your reader to your MC's story are: the desire for love and companionship, the desire to have a family, the desire to fit in, the desire to be understood by others, the desire to live or die, and the basic need for food, clothing, and shelter.
4. Accept that you cannot please everyone. Period.
While all of this is still just riding on my own opinion, here is an example of a story I connected with on the very first page.
The statue has got to go.
That's my first thought as I prep the living room for Dustin's visit later tonight. I know I'm the only one who would notice the discriminating eyes of Mom's four-inch Jesus staring down from the mantel. Dustin probably wouldn't look away from my breasts if the room were two feet deep in holy water. Still, I reach for it.
LOSING FAITH by Denise Jaden (Simon Pulse, 2010)
That isn't even the full first page, but I knew by the end of that paragraph that this is going to be a book I'll enjoy reading. It starts with a desire, goal, and conflict, and her characterization is efficiently clear. That's all I need. I'm hooked.
What connects YOU to a character and his/her story?
Happy reading,
~Lydia
For me it's always the voice, or the attitude behind it. Like the start to Catcher in the Rye - you're just taken right in.
ReplyDeleteOr this beginning, from The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys:
By eighth grade, Jesus Christ had been bone meal and rumors for most of 1,974 years, but we were only thirteen. We were daredevils, gangsters. I had a girl's name, Francis, and a hernia.
Right off he's got me 'cause the character's smart and cocky and reckless, and yet also sympathetic. You want to hang out and see what happens.
I am not a teen guy, but I am preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Who do I speak to as an MC?
ReplyDeleteI agree. Relatable characters are so key! I just finished reading Where the Red Fern Grows to my kids. We were all crying at the end, because we had fallen in love with the characters. THAT is good writing, when you can make your readers fall in love with the characters.
ReplyDeleteGreat points.
ReplyDeleteYou really have to care about what is happening to the character to make that connection. I've read books where the MC was in great danger, and I was thinking, "Good. Just die already." Was there a connection there? Uh, nope.
Great post! I don't have "The Help" in front of me, but I think I connected with the character Skeeter right away. Conversely, I had more trouble connecting with Bella from "Twilight" (though I still enjoyed the series as entertaining).
ReplyDelete@Amanda Hoving:
ReplyDeleteLOL! Give me a cliff to push that character off of.
@Jennifer Lane:
ReplyDeleteYou'd need to be well into rigor mortis to connect with Bella.
Well, I think I'm a bit more lenient when it comes to the time I give an author to make me feel connected to the character. But I do want to be interested in their situation from the beginning, or I won't make it to the part where I care about if they achieve their goal or not.
ReplyDeleteI just started reading the fantasy novel, "The Poison Throne" by Celine Kiernan and I didn't feel connected to the MC, Wynter, straight away. But on page 29 she discovers that people in her kingdom (she's been away for several years) are no longer allowed to communicate with cats. When her friend tells her that all the cats she used to care for in the palace have been poisoned, she loses it. As an animal lover myself, that made me really feel connected to her.
That event didn't occur until the end of chapter three. But what the author did was make me curious from the beginning, allowing me to feel connected to the MC a bit later.
Awesome points here. It's that certain voice that keeps me reading--i either identify or I don't. If it's a really great premise, I'lle excuse the character to get to the story, but I really get sucked in if I feel like I AM the MC.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I have to be able to relate to them in some way or understand/sympathize with their motivations. I'm going to be spending time with this character so I want to be able to root for them and care that they achieve whatever goal they are going for or make the changes they need to be a better person.
ReplyDeleteI had the strange experience of reading a book where the main character's situation hooked me in the beginning but as the story moved along, I began to hate them because of the person they were becoming. I had more sympathy and connection with one of the supporting characters. It was somewhat disconcerting and I ended up abandoning the story. I should go back and read so I know what not to do with my own stories.