Character counts
Think about the most complex person you know. Maybe it's your auntie who spent her life raising a family while working a job she hated, so that her kids could go to private school. She may have been tough as nails at home, but soft as a pillow at work. It confused you to see her acting that way when she ruled with an iron fist at home. Remember seeing her cry silently at home? You wondered why she cried and what you could do to make her feel better? When writing and creating characters, you have to make the reader care about why he or she lives. Whether it's your hero, villain or heroine, people need to care. Readers will pick the characters that they care about. When I wrote, The Business of Love , I thought Cleveland Alexander would be an annoying character that no one would like or appreciate. I tried to make him the most annoying younger brother ever. This is the one time when I'll admit I used some of my own personality to create this character (I'm the younge...