Why Your Characters Are So Important

Hi everyone!:)
As I was watching a few of The Clone Wars episodes with my brother and sister, I was trying to figure out why I was so not interested in this certain story that they were telling. The plot was pretty good, it was about these droids and a frog-like guy that were trying to find an encryption module on a Separatist ship and everything that transpired because of that mission.

Yet I was not liking it one bit.

I was dying to skip the next few episodes where it was over, and so were my brother and sister. When we sat down to watch Clone Wars, we felt like we were wasting our time on the most boring story ever.

I don't usually touch my phone when I'm watching Clone Wars, but I couldn't put it down when I was watching these episodes. I had to consciously tell myself to focus.XD

You get the gravity of the situation now.

But as I watched it, I asked myself why I wasn't liking it. If Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, for example, were the ones on the mission, then I would have loved it.
Then it hit me.

I didn't like the characters at all.

The frog guy was annoying, the droids had no personality (except R2-D2), and that was what was making me, if not my brother and sister, so bored. The plot was decent, but the characters were boring. I didn't connect.

That got me thinking about just how important characters are to your story, maybe even more so than the plot, dare I say it. The plot obviously needs to be good, too, but your characters are what really make or break the story. If your character is bland, who in the world would want to read your story? If your story is lacking, maybe it's time to reevaluate your characters and make some hard choices.:)

That's just something to think about when you're writing.:)

 

I'm an amateur writer and I don't know that much about character creating and stuff, but I've been learning and thinking and I believe that the bulk of your character comes from their past, their back story. So, if you want your character to be better, coming up with a back story for them (if you don't have one already) could be the next step.

People's pasts are truly what makes them who they are. How they were treated as kids can make them react in certain ways as teenagers or adults. Pick up a pen and paper and figure out your character's back story. I think it will be worth your while.:)

 

If you're looking for an awesome blog with writing advice that is clean and will help and inspire you to write and become an author, I would highly recommend this site- Go Teen Writers

It's amazing and has inspired me to write SO much!

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I hope you liked this post and thought it was helpful.:)

-Emma-

Do you like writing advice/tips? Would you want more posts like these?