Are Your Characters Believable?

Being Genuine

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Photo by Wiki Sinaloa on Unsplash

Fantasy writing can only be based on real life. That’s what I think. The fantastical characters you create should have a humanness about them. It’s what makes them believable. I’ve only ever written one fantasy piece. It was a novel. It was never published. Would I try to publish it now? Oh, no. It was horrible, but it was my first.

I actually want to do it again now that it is forty-some years later, and I’m a better writer. That old dusty novel reminds me of Jane Roberts’ “Oversoul Seven.” She put a lot of metaphysical ideas in that book. Gently paving the way for the reader to see some of the stuff Seth had channeled for her and what she had experienced as an artist. Sort of a fictionalized version of the truth as she perceived it.

With all that said about characters for a fantasy novel, the same can be said of any character you create. Actually, with anything you write, whether there is a fictional story involved or not.

Be as truthful as you can.

The advantage of being older and creating characters is that you can draw upon what you’ve observed about human behavior. The nastier, the better. Yes, your heart has been broken seven times in real life. There are a couple of things that can come from something like that. First, you can ask yourself, “What the blazes am I doing that this continues to happen?” Write a book based on that question. Luck is not it. Actually, try to answer it for yourself. Don’t be a victim anymore, and try to figure out why one partner after another keeps dumping you and breaking your heart.

Maybe it was the way you were brought up? Could some sort of twisted dynamic have been going on in your childhood that you ended up with repeated broken heart syndrome? Go into therapy to get some insights. Hey, therapy is great for a writer. Understanding the human condition can only be a good thing.

Maybe you begin to learn that you don’t need to be something for somebody else. Maybe being you is more important. When you begin to change your outlook on life and your needs and objectives, they no longer serve the purposes of other people, and that support group will fall away. If they blame you for the break, so be it. Fodder for a story.

Now, you’ve got different people in your life. The whiners, the troublemakers, the needy people are gone. Here now are the writers. Or psychics like what happened to me. It’s amazing how that happens. It was either Ram Dass or Wayne Dyer who said, “If you want to be psychic, hang around psychic people. It’s contagious.” So, it’s not actually contagious; it’s like-minded company. But you get the idea.

Realizing that you are not a victim is freeing. It’s a hard concept to grasp, but it’s true. You can explore the steps you take as you write them, tasting the words and seeing if they truly describe your experience so that others can see your point of view.

I once got a terrific compliment from a priest. We’d become friends, bouncing ideas off of each other. He was really interesting company, unlike the priests I had experienced growing up. He said once that I sounded like his spiritual advisor. I’ve since lost track of him, but the Church is like the Army. You get assigned to positions and places far and near. As an Army Brat, I know the feeling well. He made a significant impact on me.

Understanding what makes people tick is important as a writer, as is treating your readers as if you really care for them. You are not here to make people buy your product, luring them in with hope or opportunities to make money. That is a different kind of job. As a writer, be genuine. Offer something of importance to them. Care for your reader. They can tell.

Take your heartbreaks and teach others through the examples of trauma your characters or you experienced that they can come out the other side smelling like roses. That’s what life is about, isn’t it?

🌸°•°🌸 Pauline 🌸°•°🌸

🌺Other Links:

***The Oversoul Seven Trilogy by Jane Roberts The Best Stuff for Kids on YouTube [Just Passing Through on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@JustPassingThrough-222) [Talking To Spirit on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingToSpirit) [Talking To Spirit on Substack](https://paulineevanosky.substack.com/) [Talking To Spirit — my website](https://talkingtospirit.com/) [My Table of Contents for Medium](https://medium.com/@pmevanosky/a-list-of-my-articles-8db36afffa98) [When Spirit Whispers, a book by Pauline Evanosky](https://www.lulu.com/shop/pauline-evanosky/when-spirit-whispers/paperback/product-1pe9np22.html?q=spirit+whispers+pauline+evanosky&page=1&pageSize=4) Pencil Stubs Online***