Attachment to Characters

[Mahdiyah]

In your experience what makes you attached to characters? What makes you care about what happens to them?

[J.R.]

I think for me it comes down to the character being relatable and/or the character chasing after stakes I can relate to.

[Harlyn]

I become obsessed (healthy obsession tho) to characters that are struggling; especially with some mental illnesses or are in any form disabled. Their helplessness makes sit on the edge to know what will be the result of the pain they have been through. If none of that is the case, then, I love characters that are care free and loving their life without any extra sparkles

[Rebecca]

I really like it when characters are passionate. It doesn't matter if they care about science or sports. Just as long as they care about something enough, then I relate to it.

[Tess]

Maybe weird but their non-enviable characteristics like envy, hatred, bitterness, self-pity, selfishness, apathy, etc. They have past experiences that make them feel they have a right to such feelings, and perhaps they do they don't let them consume them, they show some fight, become self-aware and develop ways of dealing with, controlling and subduing them.

[Susan]

I also enjoy characters that are struggling but have a chance for redemption. They do not have to be perfect. I like the characters in "Chasing Fireflies" by Charles Martin. These characters are flawed and vulnerable, but try their best at life. I really do not like characters who are clueless and naive. For example, "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed or "Girl in the Woods" by Aspen Matis.

[bookworms]

I’m drawn the most to characters who know who they are, consistently show that through their actions, and who are honest with themselves. Dialogue can really make or break characters too - like if your character’s thing is that she’s wise or funny, the dialogue should match.

I also find that it’s much easier to buy into characters whose emotions/experiences are described through senses (fear = blood runs cold, heart rate up, shaking hands, etc., not just “she was afraid”). The deeper the experiences, the deeper my emotional investment (misery, angst, humiliation, love, all of it).

I have a hard time connecting with characters who think one way but act another, are inconsistent (without a good reason to be), or who the authors ‘tell’ me are great/talented/whatever, but don’t really demonstrate.

[E.EB]

This is an excellent question to ask! However, there is no right answer, as each reader is different.

In general, I attach/empathize with a characters that are genuinely loving people, that have engaging interactions, understandable reactions, and human struggles. Often, this means I enjoy secondary characters more then protagonists/antagonists.

Sometimes, it's not about stakes, plot, complexity, development ect. It's about personality and the human condition. Characters are people, not props/ideas.

I liked reading this thread! thanks for the topic!

[WJ]

Characters need a mix of positive and negative story relevant traits to be relatable to me. The need to have a goal and actively pursue it, and it can't be easy for them.