M

I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Tea & Biscuits Book Discussions: Realistic Characters

by | Oct 26, 2015 | Tea and Biscuits Discussions | 9 comments

 

I was thinking about this the other day and how if you have characters that you can relate with on a personal and intimate level, that is what can make or break a story. Characters are the heart of a romance, and I feel that if a author writes them in a certain way, then they can be what really holds the book together, even if the setting or conflict isn’t your favorite. Now I feel its vital that the creation of a character plays a pivotal role no matter if its a major interaction or a minor one. There are certain values that can build a character in a story. There needs to be a reliable and steady build of the depth of a character. When you are reading a story, you want to be able to see yourself in the character as the story build in plot and tension. This is the moment that I look forward to every time I begin a story, but it doesn’t always happen. There is so much diversity that we can find in the characters that we read, but most of the time we find those little qualities that help us connect with them. Many times its in ways that we don’t expect or see at first…but it happens and what a ride it is when it does.

In each story we want characters that are realistic. The type of characters that you could see evolve and grow in a story that makes the story even better. I have noticed over the years that each author handles this differently. So every author I read I know I am in for some change and depth. Its very fascinating to see the way these characters are shaped and the way that they are implemented into the story. I always have a blast seeing this happen in a story that I am fully engaged with. One of my favorite aspects of reading is being able to see those hidden depths of a character, seeing the growth and changes that develops and those ways we relate with each character and how we can see as we are reading, a bit of ourselves in those main characters.

There are different ways that can make a character realistic. One of those major ways is having a character that is “human” not perfecection. It can be a bit frustrating when we read a character that is so far above from what we can see. Who have a perfect life and everything just seems to work for them in all the right ways. I love seeing a character struggle and fight, and still come out on top as a good person who stands for what is right. Its always interesting to see the ins and outs of characters dealing with conflicts and the reactions they have. I love being able to connect with characters in every story I read.

Questions For My Readers: 

In What Ways Do You Relate With Characters? 

What are some of your favorite characteristics in being able to relate with them in a personal way? 

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9 Comments

  1. Sarah @ One Curvy Blogger

    Yes, realistic characters are probably the most important thing that an author needs to realize when trying to create characters that a reader can relate to. After all, how the heck can we relate to a character that doesn’t have realistic personality traits? We can’t, even when we are reading paranormal or fantasy. Their has to be something about their personality that we can understand in order to be drawn to them. love this post!

    Reply
  2. Quinn's Book Nook

    Characters are definitely the most important parts of the story for me. I can look past plot holes and such if the characters are well developed. And I do need to relate to them on some level. I do love when a character is a lot like me, too. But sometimes it can be too much. Like Cath from Fangirl. She was so much like me, and it was like looking back on my life and seeing how I should have done things different but knowing I never would. If that makes any sense.

    Reply
  3. Lily B

    I love realistic characters, they can make you really connect with the story, because seriously perfect characters make you wanna punch someones eye, its unrealistic and I think it looses connection with us readers. That being said, I like realistic characters, not stupid for their age characters. Like female leads that do something really dumb constantly that puts others in the vicinity and her in danger, its like…oh my god, and you are how old?!

    Reply
  4. Kristin @ My ParaHangover

    I go both ways on the realistic characters, I think? I won’t believe a story if the characters are too over the top, unbelievable, or do the dumbest things. Like you, I just can’t get into it. But I do like to get lost in the rich man fantasy, too (oh my weakness!!! shhhh!)

    Reply
  5. LilyElement

    I can go either way on realistic characters, but I will say I seem to enjoy contemporary books with a more realistic heroine that I can connect to. If the girl is acting super irrational, I can’t connect with that haha

    Reply
  6. Sophia Rose

    Yes, I like a character that I am emotionally drawn to on some level even if I am nothing like them. I don’t like characters that are without flaws, but at the same time, I’m picky about the flaws I want to read about. LOL

    I love it when a character makes a mistake and knows how to apologize and make it better. I love when a character is capable of great destruction or power, but can still be gentle or vulnerable. Do brave things even on a small level while scared. I like when a character does villainous things, but then finds redemption.

    What I don’t like are characters that have no self-awareness, whine, manipulate, or make the same mistakes over and over and over. 😉

    Reply
  7. kimbacaffeinate

    Whether I love a character or loathe them the most important thing for me is that they do things within character and that I understand what drives them.

    Reply
  8. Alyn Yang

    Yes! I have noticed that the books I enjoy the most have characters I can connect with on some level. My favorite ones are almost always characters who break the mold and fight for what they want. Of course, they do have to be somewhat realistic too. I don’t want to read a book about a girl who is super tough, but cries when she breaks a nail and worries about getting her new outfit dirty.

    Reply
  9. Karen

    I used to like reading characters that were like me because I could relate to them more. And I was a little hard on characters that made mistakes so I’m trying to read a little more outside my character comfort zone and give them more of a break 🙂

    My favorite is when an author can make me change my mind about a character that I start off hating.

    Karen @For What It’s Worth

    Reply

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