Young Writers Society

On WordTripJr, there was a user who complained of getting too attached to his/her characters, and not being able to kill them off.

I have the complete opposite problem, I can't get attached to my characters at all!
Isn't being attached to your character vital to a good story?
What do I do about this?

I don't think it's always *vital* to be attached to your characters, but it certainly helps a lot. I've written two books so far, and I've totally adored the MCs in both of them. In the second book I adore them to a fault, and while it makes it really easy to write them, it makes it extremely difficult to plot because they lead [/i] me, which is rather inconvenient it times!

While being attached can make it hard to kill characters, it certainly makes for a more emotional death. If you're crying when you kill them, then the reader might well be too.

So I actually retract what I said up there--it's pretty darn important to love your characters.

There are plenty of things you can do to get closer to yours. Try writing about them outside the story--put them in a different time or place and just write, even if it's rambly. If you write in third person, try getting into their heads and doing first person instead. That really helps, because sometimes they end up thinking some quite surprising things!

I think the main thing is to force yourself to spend loads of time with them and really get to know them as people. And hope that when you know them, you like them. Good luck!

Being attached is necessarily vital, but without being attached, it can be hard to develop your characters enough.

The best advice I can give for getting attached to characters is to write for them. You can do all the planning and character profiles you want, but you will not deeply, intimately know your characters until you start writing about them. That's when they truly come to life.

Yep, what Imelda said. I always write in first person, so I know my MCs very intimately. Keep them in your head, talk to them, imagine how they would react in this situation, or that one.

Get to know all their little quirks and details that make them them! You've got weird little things that make you you - give your characters those little thingies as well.

The longer you have them, the closer you get to them. And remember that they're YOUR'S, and no one else's. No one else has my characters - the Raven, Fal, Kit and Rohsair. They're mine, and that makes them very special. To me it does, at any rate.

They've each got that special something that makes me feel about them. The Raven especally, as she's been with me from the beginning when I really started writing. She's changed and matured a lot since I first met her, and there's probally a metaphor or something in there if you can be bothered to look for it.

Anyways, just think about them, play with them, WRITE about them!

I definately agree with what Imelda said about writing in first person to get in the characters head. I write in first person all the time and it definately gives me a deeper connetion to the character. Third person is nice but look, for example, at Eragon. Its written in third but it still has those throughts in italics.

Its just an idea, but write a snippet of a chapter and then every few paragraph, re-read it and pretend to be the character. And in italics or the side margin, just write down what you think your character would think.

If that doesn't make sense then slap me.
Hope I was some help.

Thank you for the advice!

I'll try all those ideas.

Yeah, just don't get too attached. I wasted a lot of time trying to avoid killing one of my characters in the last book but my sister insisted on it and pointed out that she'd kill off one of her characters if the plot demanded it so I finally let her go. Then the story just happened to call for the death of one of characters on Claire's list so now we're even.

Writing's all about channeling emotion, right? That's why it's a good thing when you get attached to characters- then you feel the emotions and things that they do when you're worried for them in a situation.

Really, it's okay to cry when you kill someone off. That'll just make the other characters' reactions all the more believable.

Here's the main thing- write about characters that you think are interesting. The only way you're going to care about anyone is if you think they're fascinating, or would be interesting to talk to. Maybe not as a friend- that's going a little too far. But interesting nonetheless.

And WordTrip? Isn't that where the RealKids people got to? *hides* ...erm, I'm kind of an alumnus. Ooer.

And WordTrip? Isn't that where the RealKids people got to?

Yep.

Thanks Kitty and Sam!

I have the same problem. I hear (well...read, really, since it's their LJ entries) all these people talking about how they can hear their characters in their heads and have conversations with them and I'm just like, "...I WANNA HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH MY CHARACTERS, DARN IT!" And it just...doesn't happen. It's annoying and it sucks. But now that I've read the replies in this thread I'll have to try some of the suggestions.

It's said by someone that "When you kill a character you're killing part of yourself." So try think of each character as maybe a part of you.

AWritersFantasy wrote:I have the same problem. I hear (well...read, really, since it's their LJ entries) all these people talking about how they can hear their characters in their heads and have conversations with them and I'm just like, "...I WANNA HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH MY CHARACTERS, DARN IT!" And it just...doesn't happen. It's annoying and it sucks. But now that I've read the replies in this thread I'll have to try some of the suggestions.

Try it.

Literally. Try having a conversation with your characters. Ask them something. If their answer does not come to you instantly...think about their response.

I always figure that if I don't get attached to my characters, my readers won't get attached to them, either. (Which can be the death of a story. It may be a matter of personal taste, but if I don't care for the characters, I won't keep reading.)

One thing that can be a lot of fun and help you develop (and therefore get more attached to) your characters is to role play with another writer. Both of you take a character (or three, or ten, depending on your style) and have them interact on neutral ground. Don't have it take place in the "world" of your story. If both people write fantasy, have the characters go to a real world coffee shop, or so on and such like. It helps you to get to know them without having the pressure of actually writing, if that makes sense. You don't have to worry if it works with your plot or if it sounds good enough or anything like that.

As for the bit about having conversations with your characters: I do this. I do it a lot. It's kind-of like having an imaginary friend. If it helps, imagine them sitting next to you. If that doesn't work, write it out. (I always used to write it out as if I were interviewing them for a news report on their story. It's goofy, but a lot of character development games are.)

I always figure that if I don't get attached to my characters, my readers won't get attached to them, either. (Which can be the death of a story. It may be a matter of personal taste, but if I don't care for the characters, I won't keep reading.)

Exactly. I was reading Stephenie Meyer's website, and she described it really well: You have to be listening to the radio, and know which songs your characters would like. I know, I know, some of our characters are medieval, and therefore didn't have radios, but you get the point, right?

I think there's something wrong with me. I really do. Because I get really attached to my characters, but I like to kill therm off. I'm majorly depressed afterwards, and won't eat for like a week, but if it has to happen for the story to progress, I like to write it. Everyone's always talking about how they try to avoid killing off their characters, and I really don't. One of Snap's little quirks, I guess.

I agree with everything above. Spend time with your characters. Get to know them. Eventually you'll be their friend, even if they don't want to be yours.

I haven't read over all the responses.

But with my characters, I have to get to know them. But I don't get to know them forward and backwards, I don't care what their favorite color is, or what song they'd listen to, or what they have on their night stand. I want to know what they act like, how they talk, how they react, how they look at the world. the character development usergroup is awesome, but it doesn't always work for me. That is good when you are just starting your characters.

Character dialog, and the character answer game is great. Find a really good friend, and role play (basically) with your guys' characters. but don't role play, talk, like your character would. My "character dialog" buddy is Sam-sam ^_^ Ever since we started doing this, we've got to know our characters better, and are starting to perfect their voices. It's really help, because my characters will come up with the randomest things, and then those backgrounds that they made up end up being part of the plot of my novel. It's really nice.

I treat my characters like real people. They are real people. They really do exist, and I love [most] of them. It's just about learning who they are, and seeing them in 3D.