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We’ve tackled making readers invested in a story through characters, discussing how crafting captivating roles gets them hooked. However, throughout this conversation, another factor has also been highlighted to help readers stay, and that is attachment.
Across the multiple elements in a story, making readers fully pay attention and root for their favorite characters is the most critical part. After all, when they’re devoted to characters, they’re dedicated to the whole story, no matter how many books there may be. This is the key to making loyal readers, which is every author’s winning condition. So, how does one make readers care about the characters and the story?
Let’s dive right in!
How to Make Readers Care?
There’s a lot involved in making readers care about stories. Much like how people would care and get involved with others, there is an intricate art around attachment to get readers fully onboard.
Readers don’t care about how characters look to root for them. They don’t care about their wealth or preferences regarding routines. Instead, to make readers care, authors must consider the characters’ overall impression—their backstories, decisions, progress, and intentions.
Authors have to be detailed yet discreet in reeling readers into their characters’ lives.
Up the stake and increase likeability.
One of the many things author Chris Cochrane takes pride in his books is his characters’ likability and ability to fascinate and impress readers.
Whether it’s The Dinglehopper Blueberry Belly-Button Snooter or the Castle Forks, his books involve a character that becomes tested and empowered throughout his tales. While this may seem like a fundamental element in every story, what Chris Cochrane employs in addition to a good character are engaging conditions surrounding them.
To make readers care, the author doesn’t stop at creating fascinating characters to go with his compelling plot. Instead, he incorporates these ingredients.
A Relatable Character
Readers like to be reminded of themselves in the characters they read. This makes it easier for them to connect, and it’s this connection that writers want to bank on.
One way to make characters relatable is by giving them universal traits—characteristics that can be found in almost everyone, with added quirks to make them endearing. Regardless of the genre, characters with a niche pastime or a nostalgic interest will always make readers care more about them, increasing fondness towards characters and making them connect deeper.
Really, if there’s anything that will make readers care about characters, it’s their relatability. Like everyone else, they’re flawed but relatable. They can have a bit of an attitude but still do good. These traits are in every human being, making characters feel real to readers.
A Character With Consequential Yet Realistic Goals and Stakes
Readers understand that every protagonist has their goals to achieve. But more often than not, they care less about these. They accomplish what they set to do. Good. But if they don’t, there’s not really much to care about. This isn’t what authors want. They crave to make readers care about these.
Goals are the bane and core of every story.
So, how do authors make readers care about their characters’ goals? Plot a “So what?” idea. What happens when they achieve their goal, and what happens when they don’t? By answering these questions, authors make more meaningful and gripping goals for their characters that aren’t passive or seemingly inconsequential. They’re able to raise the stakes so readers root for success.
Make the character lose everything there is to lose if that’s what it takes. Add worthy opponents that are too stubborn to die. Incorporate a temporary rock bottom for the protagonist. These are what ups the stakes and give the story more depth.
A Character that Engages Readers’ Emotions
To answer what makes readers care about characters, authors would also have to think of an answer to “How to make a reader feel emotion?”
After all, no matter how high the stakes and monumental the goals are, these will fall flat if the character fails to engage readers’ emotions. Give them an excellent sense of morality that readers latch to them and support their every decision. Give them a lot of problems to make readers care and root for them to have a better life, one they deserve. It’s easy to cultivate a bond between characters and readers when the latter feels deeply for the former.
Authors have to ensure their characters appear genuine and their pain reasonable and sincere.
This way, readers not only feel close to them but also genuinely want to be with them in every step of their story. When characters make readers feel like they’re similar in many ways and struggle in incomparable situations, they will become emotionally engaged and unable to let go of the story unless they have happy endings.
A Character With an Interesting or Intriguing Backstory
To make readers care about characters, authors don’t always have to bank on current situations and decisions. Instead, they can also touch on their history. Nobody skips out on a tearjerker. It’s impossible not to care about a character with a miserable backstory. This is among the easiest ways to soften people’s hearts and connect them to characters.
A good heartache strengthens characters. This gives them strong motivations to continue in life, feeding their desire to accomplish the things they set their eyes on. A good backstory gives readers that “full-circle” moment. It shapes them into becoming who they are and is the foundation of their decisions. Hence, to make excellent characters, authors need to plot a good backstory.
There’s more to a story than just fascinating characters and complicated conflicts to make readers care. Authors have to engage their readers’ admiration and seize their attention.
If you’re interested in how Chris Cochrane incorporated these into his stories, grab copies of his books:
- Attachment Theory: Make Readers Care About Characters - October 2, 2024
- Looking into Our Inner Demons: Evoking Imagination - September 28, 2024
- Why Do We Love Cute Things: How Cuteness Hijacks Our Brains - September 26, 2024