I wrote a short story about a guy who is forced into a situation where he has to kill a man he has never met or risk losing the perfect life he has accrued--good bye wife, daughters, home, job, and car. No more "American Dream".
Two days and 3,200 words later, I was finished and happy with the final product. I handed it to the Misses/my First Reader like a child showing off the A on his report card. She quite enjoyed it on her first read through, then thought it was average (at best) on subsequent reads. I guess those were C's on my report card, not As.
After I shed a metaphorical tear, the Misses discussed with me what she felt was missing from the story: she did not relate to the protagonist, never understood the notion that he was "living the dream life", and thus she did not care when bad things happened to him. Couple under-developed characterization with the typical first draft superfluousness and you get just an average piece.
The problem:
Character Development
The Fix: I try to write with brevity and conciseness in mind, but sometimes my fast prose omits pertinent information concerning the story. The bad news is an author may not see what is missing at first glance. The good news is an author can find a reader they trust to show them what is missing, brand it into his brain, and remember to include it in the next draft and next piece. That's how my Misses helped me. The character she was supposed to root for, feel for, bored her. It was his
characterization that irked her.
Noun.
Characterization- the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features.
1. Make your protagonist(s) relatable above all else.
2. Make your protagonist(s) likable
Footnote: Thoroughly understand your character.
1. Detailed: If your reader cannot relate to your protagonist they won't feel for the protagonist. If she does not feel, then your piece (no matter its epicness, scope, or narrative) will come off as a boring read. And those who have characters that aren't human, when I say make your protagonist relatable I mean on a very basic human level. You can write a story through the perspective of a dog getting from Point A to Point B. That's cool. But why do we care? Well, maybe the dog is tired, hungry, and has puppies to feed back home--he's
struggling. And, if anything else, human's understand struggle. Boom--relatable dog story.
Humans Relate To . . .
Hard work/Struggle
Days off/Vacation or Weekends
Hunger
Companionship
Love
Sex
Deprivation
Lack of Sleep
The need for achievement
Familial bonds
Parental bonds
Laziness
(These are just a few elements that drive humans that other humans can relate to.)
In Conclusion:
I just got the feedback from the Misses last night, and I've already have ideas of how to improve the story by including more characterization (essential defining traits, motivation, and relatable elements among others). Let's hope I can get an A on this next draft's report card, and I'm sure all of you will, too.
