Today’s guest blog is from Marja McGraw, a native Californian  who now lives in Arizona.  She writes mysteries, with a couple of series going.  Today, she talks about character, a subject dear to my heart.  So, here’s Marja on Character.

In most cases, you’re going to enjoy a book if you thoroughly enjoy the protagonist. However, personally, I think you’ve got to love the characters (plural). One likable person isn’t necessarily going to hold a reader’s attention.

 I write two series, the Sandi Webster mysteries and the Sandi Webster mysteries. The two protagonists are worlds apart and yet similar. Sandi is a young female P.I. who’s a little naïve and constantly having to learn about life.

Chris Cross (the Bogey Man) is a Humphrey Bogart look-alike and learned early on that he wasn’t cut out to be a professional private investigator. I have to add Pamela Cross to the list of characters because she tells the Bogey Man stories from her perspective.

If the readers don’t like these three characters, then they’re not going to continue to read the books and I’ve failed to entertain them. Consequently, the characters have to be lovable, or at the very least, likable. I honestly believe if you can see the humorous side of life, you can move ahead and handle just about anything. For that reason, I’ve allowed my protagonists to lean toward humor.

I decided I was onto something when readers began telling me they wished they knew Sandi and her partner, Pete, in real life.  She’s been through five mysteries now, and for the most part she’s learned a lot about survival and right vs. wrong, and it’s changed her life – as well as mine. Writing this character really makes me examine life and the people around me, because she’s not based on me. She’s funny, she sighs a lot, and she generally looks for the best in others. She frustrates easily, but so do many of us real people. She’s an only child and sometimes that skews her view of people and life. I wish I’d given her siblings. Oh well, she has a menopausal mother and I guess that will have to do. Maybe sometime down the line I’ll give her cousins.

I like Sandi, and that’s half the battle. The other half is hoping the reader will sympathize, empathize, and care what happens to her. Hopefully the reader will wish her the best and pull for her when she’s in danger or she’s temporarily lost her way. Most of all, I hope the reader can laugh with her.

What about Chris? He’s in an entirely different situation. He’s married and has a seven-year-old stepson who wants nothing more than to involve himself in Chris’s dilemmas. He and his wife, Pamela, are having a wonderful time solving mysteries, as long as they don’t think about the inherent dangers. When the situation calls for it, Chris walks and talks like the real Bogey. It charms people into trusting him. Pamela just rolls her eyes, which is something I’m told I do a lot. No, she’s not me, but she does have a few of my habits. Together, they own a 1940s-themed restaurant which allows Chris and Pamela to dress the part, too.

Here’s a good question. What about the bad guy? Can a writer make him so ugly (I’m still talking about personalities) that the reader wants to jump right onto the page and help capture him? Is it possible to make the reader feel sorry for the bad guy even though he should be sent to jail for thirty years or more? Sure. Something in his life turned him into a criminal, and sometimes even though you want to see him get his comeuppance, you can feel sympathy toward him. I’ll admit that there are bad seeds among us, but it’s more fun, even with the bad guy, to have good reasons for feeling an emotion about him. It’s okay to detest someone and feel sorry for them at the same time.

Loving a fictional character involves a lot more than enjoying a protagonist, or hero, or heroine. I believe that all the characters combined create a good story. The reader needs an emotional investment in each individual.

This brings up another point. Not all of the characters are human. In the Sandi Webster books I included Bubba, a half wolf/half Golden Retriever dog. He’s huge, he’s funny, and the stories wouldn’t quite be the same without him.

Chris and Pamela Cross have two yellow Labrador Retrievers, and they’re usually front and center, too, along with Mikey, their son. Sherlock and Watson (Watson is a female) just want to socialize with people, and play, and someday that could be their undoing.

To sum it up, it’s a combination of all the characters that create a feeling of fulfillment for the reader. The protagonists have friends, family, pets and plenty of enemies to keep the adventures moving. I can think of television shows I enjoy because of the entire cast, not just the main character. The same can be said of books. It takes a village? I guess that doesn’t quite fit, but you get the idea.

Jim, thank you so much for inviting me in today. You gave me a chance to think about my characters and my motivations, and that’s a good thing.

Links:

Website:         http://www.marjamcgraw.com/

Blog:               http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/

JRC:  Leave Marja a comment, or a like.  Tell her what she nailed and if you think she missed anything, mention that also.  We’d both like to hear from you.  Thanks.