Developing Characters

Developing a character is not as easy as it sounds.  It is a very important step in a story.  People want to see growth in the character. It is something that peeks interest in the reader.  Let me show you what I mean with an example from my books.  Bander Greenlith is; at heart, a simple elf. He does not think for himself because his brother Rander does his thinking for him.  If Rander says to hate Linvin then he will hate Linvin.  Bander’s only real concern is having a full belly.  At the beginning of the story, Bander doesn’t think twice about following Rander’s orders.  As time goes by, however, Bander begins to see how he is being used and it annoys him.  He starts to rebel against Rander.  By the end of the story, he is totally independent in his thinking.  As a reader you see the change and actually begin to root for him.  Even the main character Linvin changes.  At the start he loathes the brothers for their insubordinate reaction to him.  Linvin is used to leading an army where his orders are followed without question. On his quest he finds he must earn the party’s respect.  Linvin makes mistakes but overall proves to be a capable and worthy leader.  In a novel you must develop the characters to keep your audiences interest.  I have started reading many books I did not finish because the characters were stale.  It’s not enough to write a book.  You must keep the audience’s attention.  Keep this in mind when you write your own stories.