The trickiest part of writing the Main Character of your story is that the character arc demands that we put the poor person through hell. (The PROBLEM or INCITING event is often life-changing,) BUT we need to write about everything so that the READER wants to cheer OR hate the main character. WITHOUT this strong emotion or RELATIONSHIP between READER and CHARACTER, the story falls flat.
But there are two ways to accomplish this OR making the Main Character RELATABLE so the READER can identify with the character in one way or another.
First, make your Main Character someone who is REAL. The READER finds commonalities, and they are stirred up by your prose. They are entertained or fascinated or sympathetic. Any of these emotions will tie your READER to your MC.
The MC is rarely mysterious. For your READER to care, they must know who the MC is.
We will discuss this further in future blogs – but for now, just know that your MC is a complex character. You will have to punish them (or make bad things happen) and do it with LOVE so your READER can relate and cheer or Boo.
So, Patty,
You invited me to participate in your anthology with my story, Becoming. How does this work? I read your submission guidelines, but how do I pay the fee? Are you only interested in Becoming? Or can I submit other stories?
Looking forward to working with you,
John
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