Today’s fantastic topic is brought to us by Shannon. She asks: Imagine this: when you’re gone, readers will remember your writing most for just one of these things: your characters, your plots, your settings, or your style. Which one (only one!) would you prefer over the rest? Why?
Talk about original topics! Love it! My first instinct was to say all these things, but darn it, Shannon anticipated that. So, I’m going with characters because they fuel the entire story. The books I fall in love with, the ones that stay with me, days, months, and years after I have finished them, the ones that leave me in tears and longing for more pages, are ones where the characters draw me in.
An authentic character makes or breaks a story. I have read books that I thought would be terrific because the idea spoke to me, but the characters failed to draw me in. They did not seem real, I could not picture myself interacting with them or see them truly reacting to the story line in the way they were. There were novels where the writing styles was not ones I would normally enjoy but the characters were so likable and heartfelt, I could not help but read more.
Of course I would love my stories to move readers. But, in the end, if they talk about the difference my characters made in their lives, if they say they were true, I will feel like I did something good. And odds are the story flourished too.
To see what others in the blog chain have to say, check out Sarah’s post tomorrow and Christine’s post from yesterday.
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