What gets you emotionally invested in a character?

[Michael]

I'm curious to know what gets you emotionally invested in a character from the first few pages of a book, making you want to read more about that character's journey?

[Chrys]

For me, it's a character that is mostly likable but has some faults, particularly if those faults are not visible to the character him/herself and if those faults might be that person's undoing later on.

[Suzanne]

It's hard for me to define, but I need to have a reason to care about a character. If the story opens with action, but I have no idea who the person is or what he/she stands for, why should I care if they live or die through the action? I like to get to know some background on my character and what makes them tick before the story gets rolling.

[Chrys]

I hate the novels these days which start with a bit of action, taken from later on in the book, then backtrack to build up to it. Feels like cheating to me.

[V.W.]

I loathe "flawed" characters. Serious flaws like alcoholism, deep depression, PTSD, etc don't make the character more sympathetic to me.

Determination, competence, compassion, courage, are some of the things that make me like a character.

[Chrys]

I agree about characters who have too much to deal with. I like those who just have some rough edges.

[Alicia]

Being pulled in to what the character wants and needs and thinks - and being able to empathize with that. No empathy - no thanks.

Go for the universal emotions first, but particular to this character.

And I do not like an info dump at that point as to why, or a full description of the character as seen in a mirror.

[Stephanie]

I don't mind reading about characters that have big issues to overcome (depression, etc. as an above post mentioned) but I don't like it when characters feel exactly the same way for an extended period of time. You can be sad overall but something can bring glimmers of happiness and you can even laugh. So character depth is extremely important and helps me empathize with the characters that I read.

Also, their perspective needs to be reasonable. If someone is scared of dogs because they watched a dog fight or were bit as a child it is a lot more believable than if there was an ugly dog on their street. (Hopefully that makes sense).

[Mimi]

I don't care if it's the sweetheart or the villain. I can't root for someone who doesn't show any growth or transformation. Especially the 'poor me'.....

[Alicia]

Mimi wrote: "I don't care if it's the sweetheart or the villain. I can't root for someone who doesn't show any growth or transformation. Especially the 'poor me'....."

So true. When I suspect that, I head for the last couple of chapters to find out, quickly, what happened, but the book has lost me.

There has to be something for me to identify with.

[Harold]

Something to admire in the person. Somebody who is not afraid to act or speak out against injustice, rudeness, exploitation, dishonesty. Somebody who does not add to the misery of lives but, instead, even in small ways seeks to alleviate. Bottom line -- somebody with a conscience not afraid to show it.

[Mary]

Alicia wrote: "Being pulled in to what the character wants and needs and thinks - and being able to empathize with that. No empathy - no thanks.

Go for the universal emotions first, but particular to this charac..."

hahahaha. I totally agree with that "mirror" thing. I hate it when an author describes her character via her reflection. There has to be a better way!

[Mary]

Michael wrote: "I'm curious to know what gets you emotionally invested in a character from the first few pages of a book, making you want to read more about that character's journey?"

For me, I want authenticity. I want honesty. If the character feels real to me, I'll read on.

[P.I.]

VJ,
Those "flaws" are what makes a character all the description you list above, especially when that character makes a completely selfless decision to help another and how difficult that decision may be. If an alcoholic character gives it up to save or give something to someone else that is strong, confident and most deeply affected. They go from totally self-centered to totally selfless for another which is a massive amount of selflessness. If what you are reading fails to engage you, it may likely be the author and not you.

[P.I.]

For me as an author, as I've said above, the character has to be relatable & overcomes trauma and overwhelming obstacles to get to their goal which is usually another human being. I write a lot of sci-fi with low tech because it's the relationships between characters that create the stories rather than the technology also if a character isn't relatable, what good is the story? However, in my latest novel, I wanted to create an actually "hate-able" hero and so far the reviews have agreed with me. There's no six-pack abs in my heroes, lol! My books are a little bit adventure, more so than romance in the genre' romances. Oh, and they're rather dark too!

[Zee]

To me, the character has to be like-able, as in someone I wouldn't mind being friends with in real life. I cannot root for someone I can't stand personally whether it be in real life or in books :)

[Alicia]

Mary wrote: "I hate it when an author describes her character via her reflection...."

Oddly enough, if you don't use it generally, when you use it for one character who is very vain, and in her own pov, it works quite nicely.

Like all rules: moderation. More like suggestions.

[Lana]

A good character should grow through his or her experience. Whenever I write, I always try to imagine how a particular event would impact the character and their relationships with other characters. And of course the character needs to be believable to hold my interest.

[Laura]

I like characters that have believable traits and I like a bit of mystery - I don't want the author to give it all away, but takes their time revealing what this character is all about. I also prefer when characters grow, when they become more than they were at the start of the story (this may seem obvious but it's not always the case, sometimes things just happen and the character is along for the ride - I want more from them.)

[P.I.]

Jonathan,
I'd rather kill myself than create a boor who would be actually boring. There's insufferable boors and then there are actual bad asses. My latest hero is a cold badass who learns to accept his human half only through huge personal trauma and he grows via that. Characters have to have obstacles in order to grow. Even a boor can be flung about emotionally and finally come to learn that life isn't about impressing others with know-it-all personality but that it is about change and growth and therein is the story.

[Mary]

Michael wrote: "I'm curious to know what gets you emotionally invested in a character from the first few pages of a book, making you want to read more about that character's journey?"

That whole "likability" thing is tricky, I think. Take Olive Kitteridge. Not very likable, but compelling, nonetheless. I'm drawn to characters with a complex inner life. On page one, I want to sense that much more will be revealed about the main character by page 300.

[Zippergirl]

Chrys wrote: "I hate the novels these days which start with a bit of action, taken from later on in the book, then backtrack to build up to it. Feels like cheating to me."

I _just_ read a book like that. It's an ARC so I wrote to the publisher and mentioned that it not only guts the story later on, it entirely confused the timeline/chronology of the story. It's non-fiction and I thought when I finished it that the first half of the book could have been boiled down to an article in Smithsonian magazine with just the first "spoiler" chapter.

[Jim]

Characters in a novel should be realistically portrayed. Whether male or female, good or evil, intelligent or dimwitted, wealthy or poor doesn't matter. For me to become emotionally invested in a character, he/she must be convincingly portrayed as being human, possessing all the physical, mental and emotional restrictions and challenges with which all humans must cope.

[Alicia]

Mary wrote: "I'm drawn to characters with a complex inner life...."

It's the only kind I considered writing. Because I couldn't find enough of them believable to me.

It's like climbing into a character's skull, and taking the observer seat right behind the eyeballs. When I switch characters, it is painful.

Three seems about right to tell my story. You get to know them from the inside VERY well.

[P.I.]

As an author, human emotions taken to the extreme that people react to or identify with characters is a big component in character development. What their personalities, experiences or misinterpreted experiences do or have done to them that can be related to by the reader as well as their obstacles, threats, etc. Stephen King taught me all I needed to know about inner monologue/dialogue and he did it well. There are other ingredients in the character stew but those who have read my work seem to like it regardless genre'.

[Grace]

Kindness and a sense of humor. Characters who are kind (actively and courageously kind, not just nicey-nice) and characters who can find the humor in things are just immediate turn-ons for me. Intelligence, bravery and leadership skills will make me respect a character, but not necessarily like them.

[Al]

I thought I preferred "good guys" as heroes and that's what I mostly write (with some notable exceptions, such as Johnny, the hit man, and Sek-Ka the alien stooge). But lately I've been reading a series that features a guy who's far from "one of the good guys" (Rise of an Oligarch).

That made me think about other anti-heroes, such as James Bond, and similar characters who've entertained us for so many years.

The one thing the DO have in common, however, is that they're well-developed and have at least one or two "redeeming" characteristics.

[Alicia]

Denise wrote: "A real character with dimension. I should be able to get a feel for a character within the first few pages if the author did it right. A likability because the character isn't perfect. I can't stan..."

The harder the character struggles to do the right thing, the better I like him or her; but I have to see the struggles on the page, and they have to make sense.

[Zippergirl]

Snarky nerds, and walking dictionaries, and hapless characters who overthink things--people like my friends and me.

:P

[Grace]

Gotta agree with both of those. Persistent nobility is so inspiring! And nothing beats snarky nerds :)

[V.W.]

Story and plot are more important to me. If the story doesn't grab me, then the characters really don't interest me either.

[Brenda]

Voice. The character has to sound like him or her self.

[P.I.]

I heartily agree Brenda!!

Brenda wrote: "Voice. The character has to sound like him or her self."