This is a much talked about topic in writing circles:

It’s obnoxiously vague, but you’ll be talking about it for the rest of your career.

1. The writer has to identify with his character. If the writer doesn’t love him, no one else will.

2. Caring about the ISSUES in which the character finds himself is NOT the same thing. It’s fine to start drafting a story with a situation or set of circumstances you like, but eventually, the character himself must become more important. If the character himself is replaceable and the story stay intact as long as the pet issue/situation is maintained, then there will be a voice problem.

3. The character must be vulnerable. Some folks try to do this by giving then idiosyncratic flaws. The story must force the character into a situation where something desperately important to him is jeopardized. The reader needs to WORRY about him…that’s identification.

4. The writer cannot do this in a vacuum. This is the kicker. Just like people never have objectivity about their children–a writer never has it about his character. The story has to get in front of people.

5. Fix the trouble spots. Find out what parts turn them off. And no matter what they said about it, the problem is usually #3. Go back and punch your character in the gut a little harder or turn up the volume on the character’s thoughts. Either the character isn’t struggling enough OR the character isn’t adequately communicating his feelings to the reader.

6. Repeat from step 4 until done. Writers can always improve a piece, but there comes a point when it’s “ready to go out.”

Deanna