"I JUST DIDN'T CONNECT WITH THE MAIN CHARACTER" | How to Write Characters Readers Will Love

[@jose11032]

Dude, this just got me WRITING!!!! Nano here I come!!!!

[@SteveJubs]

This is such clear and actionable advice-thank you!

[@rebeccadey]

I know this is like, a year late, lol, but these older videos keep popping up as recommendations, and this one I really loved. I ended up doing the exercise with my current protagonist 😃 Jessa's postulates: 1. "I am cursed and better off alone." Behavior: distant, sometimes surly personality Positive consequence: drama-free life Negative consequence: loneliness and lack of many close relationships 2. "I want to have a stable home." Behavior: care with hers and other peoples' belongings. Positive consequence: clean and orderly Negative consequence: gets really upset if something breaks or gets messed up 3. "Some people deserve comeuppances." Behavior: vengeful streak, sneaky trickery Positive consequence: bad people can be taught a lesson Negative consequence: engaging in Schadenfreude lol 4. "Innocents deserve aid." (Compulsion) Behavior: stepping in when she sees injustice Positive consequence: saving/helping someone Negative consequence: possibly getting in trouble for intervening 5. "Paranoia keeps you alive." Behavior: hypervigilance Positive consequence: perceptive, catches things like postulates #3 or #4 or other dangers Negative consequences: poor sleep and anxiety 6. "Respect boundaries." Behavior: not nosy, unobtrusive, likes her own privacy Positive consequence: trustworthy confidante Negative consequence: things can remain hidden that shouldn't be maybe 7. "Bodies of authority usually can't be trusted." Behavior: distrustful with people in power positions, and here she will break postulate #6 if someone else does so first, mainly when it comes to postulate #4. Positive consequence: avoids "Imperial entanglements" as Obi-Wan would say Negative consequence: doesn't normally react well when she has to deal with such people

[@SpookySkellyGurl]

this stock music's getting me ready to watch a DCOM.

[@BbGun-lw5vi]

This was such a helpful video. The best character advice I’ve heard and I’ve seen so many videos.

[@cr34tvenuff91]

I know I'm two years behind, but this video was so helpful! It's helping me realize why some characters feel more complete than others.

[@lindamelino298]

Michelle, you are amazing! Thank you. I'm just discovering these videos.

[@heathermacdonald6404]

Character postulates! That is the key to discovering what's beneath the veneer of eye colour and what our characters like to eat for lunch. I was so frustrated today, asking my protagonist all sorts of random questions and not feeling any closer to understanding her when I abandoned the project and came to KZbin in search of something more useful. And there you were. Useful as always! I am going to do the writing assignment you suggested, and see if it helps me to understand what drives my character to make the decisions she makes. I feel sure it will. Do you really want us sending you our stuff in the comments section? You must be super busy, and I'd hate to take advantage of you. You're already doing a lot for us just by taking the time to make these videos. Maybe you should run a course, or set up a Patreon page. :)

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Aw thanks, Heather! I'm glad this helped - learning about postulates was a game-changer for me. :) I actually do have a free course on character development, if you're interested! It gets deeper into the postulate thing: michelleschustermancourses.thinkific.com/courses/create-dynamic-characters And yes, I love when people share their writing in the comments! So far I've been able to keep up with responding. It's really fun and I love doing it!

[@heathermacdonald6404]

​@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor You have a generous heart, Michelle. I will definitely check out your course. Thanks, in advance, for that! Here are my seven postulates. In life, it seems we tick along rather nicely until we bump up against someone or something, and that's when the drama begins. So, I decided to focus my first character outline on my antagonist in hopes of better understanding the sort of problems my protagonist might encounter once she's involved with him. If I am not wealthy, then no one will love me. Accompanying behaviours: P) I'm a successful business owner. N) I'm a workaholic. Positive consequence: I am esteemed at work. Negative consequence: My relationships are shallow, because I am only interested in people I can exploit. The most terrifying thing in the world is poverty. Accompanying behaviours: 1) I am a keen observer. (I know that other's talents can increase my own wealth.) 2) I put quality above all else when I purchase things. P: I am a good listener. N: I am always keen to acquire expensive things. I was put on this earth to live fast and die young. Accompanying behaviours: 1) I am always up for adventure. 2) I encourage others to live their dreams. P) I can be exciting and fun to be around. N) I often get carried away, engaging in and encouraging reckless behaviours. The most important thing in the world is keeping up appearances. Accompanying behaviours: 1) I am always neat, clean and well turned out, and I have impeccable manners when I need them. 2) I like to ask others about themselves, instead of talking about myself. P) People are attracted to me. N) I never let anyone really get to know me, because I am ashamed of my family and the hard-scrabble years. I believe poverty is the root of all evil. Accompanying behaviours: 1) I have established a charitable organization through my company to benefit at-risk youth. 2) I can't resist donating to charities, particularly those which help children. P) I have contributed to making the world a kinder place for a lot of kids. N) I give away money I don't have, running up credit cards with large donations. I put my faith in luck. Accompanying behaviours: 1) In my professional life I follow the maxim that luck is the result of preparation meeting opportunity. 2) I love games of chance. P) I study hard, and I know how to wheel and deal and win in business. N) I have developed a serious gambling addiction. There's no place like the casino. Accompanying behaviours: 1) When I travel, whether for business or pleasure, I always visit casinos. 2) I have begun on-line gambling when I cannot find time to visit a casino. P) I get the VIP treatment at casinos, which impresses the women I date. N) I've begun borrowing money to maintain my gambling habit. That's it. Seven postulates which inform how my antagonist lives his life. Thanks, again, for introducing me to this method of getting inside my characters' heads, and for inviting us to post our efforts here. All the best, Heather

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Oh wow, Heather! I love this - what an intriguing and well-developed antagonist. I feel like I know him really well already (and I don't even know his name!). It's especially interesting that his fear of poverty leads him to being charitable - not a trait we see often in antagonists, and definitely one that will make him a more sympathetic character. (I love love love antagonists with redeeming qualities like that - it shouldn't be /too/ easy to hate them!) And with everything that you said about his recklessness and his gambling addiction, it's easy to imagine what kinds of conflicts he's going to have in the story that will drive him to do whatever it is he does.

[@heathermacdonald6404]

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thanks for your encouragement, Michelle! My antagonist's name is Cal Chavis. I decided that today. :) I also did your on-line course - very helpful in underscoring all that you gave us in this video - and I used postulates to get to know my protagonist, Jo Langley. Tomorrow, I'll be using postulates to sketch out the significant side characters. It is, as you know, a lot of work, but it's also tremendous fun. The fast approaching winter in Ontario, Canada is looking less bleak with this writing project to keep me busy. Thanks, again! :)

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

@@heathermacdonald6404 Cal and Jo - love it! I'm really glad the course helped. Postulates are a ton of work but I find them so much more helpful than character sheets. :)

[@lauraellis6161]

Thank you so much! My antagonist was coming off as a pantomime baddie, and now he is a real human being and I can see his whole arc. All of your videos are amazing, you have so much unique knowledge that I've not seen from other youtubers. Thank you!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

I'm so happy to hear that, Laura! Thanks for watching! :)

[@EricWen]

Wow you're so clear and eloquent. Are you a writer or something?! haha I don't know how many of my videos you've seen but it's so fun hearing you describe the stuff about motivations and postulates. I believe that us as KZbin creators to hook an audience, we need to clarify our story arc or main driving core values so that the audience can connect with us or "understand us". And that the internal struggle is usually more captivating and important to weave into your work than showing the external challenges we face. so fascinating how universally compelling certain things are - whether you're a writer, or a KZbinr! :). Subscribed to see more of your perspectives! Keep it up!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thank you so much, Eric! Funny, I had the same thought when I saw what your channel is about. Have you ever considered writing novels? ;) I bet you'd come up with some fantastically 3D characters! You're right - storytelling is so universal. The best KZbinrs are storytellers, whether they know it or not. I think it's more in our DNA than people realize. Thanks again for the encouragement!

[@ngtskynebula]

Thank you so, so much for this! ❤

[@DiinoLeHarlequin]

I have a question that is very important in order for me to continue with this exercise for my characters: can a postulate be subconscious? Where it still affects their behavior but they don’t necessarily know that that’s the specific belief they’ve had (or maybe don’t realize until later)? Or can a postulate only be something one is aware of and consciously acts on? For example: a delusional character may have an outer postulate of “the most terrifying thing in the world is me” but that postulate is false, not only in the real world but stems from a deeper unconscious postulate of “the most terrifying thing in the world is being seen as vulnerable”

[@nicogalliard_1703]

I think it can work. Well everything can work in book and art

[@waykeeperfarmandnerdery]

Suuuper helpful concepts, examples, and exercise. Thank you!!

[@andreannelavoie660]

Just discovered your channel today! A real gem and wealth of knoweledge!!! Thank you for sharing

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Aw, thank you so much, Andréanne!! :D

[@fireflyskies9425]

Thank you, I am currently writing a creative piece for an assessment and the chapter is primarily focused on two main characters. This video has introduced some great exercises to develop those characters further. Thank you again.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

That's awesome, Keira!! Thank you so much for watching!!

[@FF-FAN9999]

good video, but i wish you had given your example of the exercise :) 7postulates and 7 accompany traits etc

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thanks so much, Fabio! I do occasionally post examples when I do the exercises - can't remember why exactly I didn't do it for this one :)

[@philbe1111]

Great stuff!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thanks so much! 😄

[@pengraveth800]

You're relatable because I also need tea. Sneaky.

[@HannahTheHorrible]

Trying this for my main character. I kind of have my work cut out for me because my character is going to be very hard to like. She's going to be extremely selfish and shallow...lol so I'm working hard at how to make her "likeable" at the same time. She'll need some redeeming qualities.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Ooh I love a good unlikable character! Redeeming qualities for sure - and the kind of backstory that helps the reader understand why she is the way she is. (I love hearing these little tidbits about your book!!)

[@HannahTheHorrible]

Michelle Schusterman oh thank you! I need to work on her backstory

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

@@RP-uu7oq Oooh I haven't - thanks for the rec!!

[@chillgamingchannel1283]

UM... that feeling you get when you find real value out of a youtube videa? CHECK!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Aw thank you! 😂 So glad this was helpful!

[@tearstoneactual9773]

See, i don't generally have any problem getting my characters to come to life. This, however, means that any and all planning goes out the window, and in many ways... story structure goes out the window. And then it's impossible to wrangle them back into some kind of shape. And... this is where I'm currently struggling.

[@FF-FAN9999]

feels like I'm playing persona(cuz of the music)

[@hartsgrace1205]

I have a desire to pursue my dream of writing, but my financial concerns are substantial. Is there a particular age group I should target my books towards to receive the most compensation? I'd prefer to write adult books, but Im worried that that isn't the best approach.

[@PhilipAJones]

Postulate: "I need to be the hero or my life is a waste." Pros: Very helpful. Encouraging to the weak. Solves some problems. Gets thanked. Cons: Gets involved in situations that he/she has no business getting involved in. Gets in over his/her head. Accidentally helps the antagonist/villain. Oh! And obviously has a hard time asking for/accepting help.

[@punit1117]

Can I write the main character without a name

[@RustinMarkJandongan]

yes but you need something to refer to them. Example in the Warm Bodies the zombie guy can't remember his name so the girl just refer to him as R.

[@punit1117]

@@RustinMarkJandongan thanks. I decided to call the character 'him'/'HE' cuz he forgot his name due to some hardships. But soon he gains a new name and also remembers his original one.

[@BoWestcott]

👍😊💖

[@BeadleJuce]

Ik this is an old video, but good lord, the closed captioning is bad. Completely inaccessible to anyone deaf/hard of hearing trying to follow along.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thanks for letting me know, Savanna! Going back and adding subtitles to my older videos has been on my to do list for awhile - I need to get on it!