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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Make the relationships real

Well, the previous post got me thinking. In a book, apart from the story, there are many things that contribute in order to make it realistic and interesting for people to read. I will not talk about techniques or nice writing, but for the important part that the relationships are playing between the characters. So, let’s continue our talk but more generally this time. :)


Relationships between people were never easy. As life goes on people come and go and relationships are changing like the wind. A friend may prove to be more loyal than we could ever think, a boyfriend may betray us, a father may disappoint us, a stranger may act kinder than a friend who turned out to be an enemy in the end. There are a million scenarios that I can think of but the fact is that relationships change.
The change though is more intense when a person’s world is changing suddenly. When we are forced to face a new reality in a short amount of time, we can never know which the reaction would be and that will affect every person in our lives.

That is what happening in books, right? We follow the main character, which most of the times is going through dramatic changes. Thus if we want to keep it real, we need to change the character too, but slowly and naturally like a real person would do. When we are creating a story, it's not just imagination we need! We need to make it real or else there is no point to write it at all! Think about it…in every book you have read the main character is different when the story ends. The first that comes to mind is Katniss for The Hunger Games! That was a change!

So, if I can give a piece of advice, which I am following too, is this: Keep the characters and the relationships between them as real as possible. Think how you would react if you were in their shoes and be careful…building a character and everything that comes with him/her, it’s not as easy as it seems!

P.S Don't forget the POLL!! Let's see what people enjoy so...VOTE! :)

13 comments:

  1. I voted in the poll. I agree that conflict and change can be found in so many forms and I am not sure that all are used to their fullest advantage. I don't read a lot about alcohol and the affects on teenagers when their parents are alcoholics in books, or when family members or friends are lost by drunk drivers. There is so much that will change a person inside out. Thank you for stopping by and following - new follower Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven

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    1. Thanks a lot for voting and for taking time to make a comment. Yes, there are a lot that can change a person and the change may come unexpectedly!

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  2. Interesting post! I voted for the second one on the pole – love triangles aren't that bad... I LOVE your blog! :)
    ~ Ruby @ http://feedmebooksnow.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thank you very very much. :D
      I am following your blog too and I really really like it. :)
      Thanks for making a comment and voting too.

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  3. I've come over to read your post and so glad I did. I see that you struggle too with making characters realistic. I have a bad habit of thinking about what the ordinary person would do in situations and then I turn the opposite way and put my poor characters through hell before I back off and give them their happy ending. I guess I"m just a meanie at heart :-) I left my vote and turns out I'm like most other people LOL

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    1. Thank you very much for your visit.
      Well, I like going them through hell too because that's the story, right? But I am not so sure about he happy ending. lol..:)

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  4. Nice post.A typical Dilemma of a writer.And as an amateur writer,I can fairly say that I understand.Nice blog.I will be following that.I would appreciate if you take a look at mine and tell me how I am doing.And if you like it please become a member of it.

    Best of luck with your writing aspirations!

    http://hassanqadeerbutt.blogspot.com/

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    1. Hi Hassan,
      Thank you very much for taking time to make a comment. I am an amateur writer too but we all have a fair chance on writing. :)
      I followed your blog and I will snoop around it!:D

      Best luck to you too.

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  5. Another nice post. I enjoyed the discussion on relationship. When I write, or mostly when I revise, I look deeper into a character's relationship with other characters, and if it looks unrealistic to me, I try to correct it. I also agree with you on change, because if the main character doesn't go through any change or doesn't learn something new at the end of the story, then something's wrong.

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    1. Thank you very much.
      You are right, when you revise things looks clearer. It happens to me too. Now that I am doing my 5th draft for Dazed, I pay more attention on these things.
      As for the change, which I think is important, I hope to have it on my book. :)

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  6. Hello! Thanks for visiting my blog. How did you follow me, so I could follow you the same way? :)

    I like what you said about keeping it real. I think that's what makes something enjoyable and not so enjoyable. One of the things I enjoy in books is the relateability of the character.

    Good morning!

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    1. Hi,
      Thanks for making this comment. :)
      I followed you through GFC. I have it under the name "Followers" on my sidebar.

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