Making Your Characters Real

Lately, I've been reading thrillers. They can be most exciting and they make you want to keep turning pages.

Some authors  have called their books thrillers, when in fact they were mysteries. With a true thriller you see what's going on through the eyes of many, including the bad guys. 

What I have found missing though, is true character development. 

Often, I don't really care all that much for the main characters, be they male or female, mainly because I don't have enough details about them And sometimes, they don't seem like real people.

I must confess, this flaw didn't keep me from wanting to find out what happened.

So what do I think an author should do to make a character seem real?

First, I want to at least have a clue about the age of the person and what they look like. (Male authors seem to focus on the physical attributes of the female characters.) If they describe clothes, often it's how they fit on the body.

What has made this person the way they are today? Some authors do this wonderfully well--others, we have no clue. When you read a series, you will probably learn more about what makes up a character. However, small bits help when dropped into the story at the appropriate time.

Some authors do this so well, you hate to come to the end of the book.

And no, I'm not a master at this, but I do like to think that people who read either of my series feel the characters are real. They are certainly real to me.

When I'm giving a presentation I like to point out that though I seldom know what my husband of many years is actually thinking, I do know what my characters are thinking.

What's your take on this?

Marilyn