When breathing life into a character, many factors are to be
considered. However, of these, emotional connection is perhaps one of the most
important in creating memorable, believable characters that your readers will
remember for years to come. Here are five simple tips to help you achieve “emotional connection” between your audience and
your cast of characters by using the power of “uncontrollable circumstances.”
1. The Power of the
Uncontrollable
Psychological studies have shown that people tend to feel
more motivation to assist and sympathize with individuals who are facing
uncontrollable circumstances.
One of these experiments involved an elderly man (a test
assistant) falling down on a bus. In one version of the experiment, the man was
using a cane to support himself. In the second version, he was carrying a bag
filled with alcohol. In the analysis of these tests, more individuals attempted
to assist the elderly man with the cane because they perceived that his fall
was caused by an uncontrollable circumstance—his age. Oppositely, those who saw
the elderly man fall while carrying a large bag full of alcoholic beverages
perceived him to be drunk, and therefore felt less inclination to assist him
(or feel emotional attachment to him) because his condition was controllable (brought
upon himself by choice).
When writing your characters, keep in mind that your readers
are more likely to feel emotional attachment to them if they are facing circumstances
beyond their control. An uncontrollable circumstance is anything that directly affects the character and, in turn,
cannot be overcome directly or initially by
your character. In other words: the character cannot simply choose to alter their situation and
change the circumstance as a result. An uncontrollable circumstance may
include: the death or terminal illness of a loved one, old age, a crippling
disease, foreclosure on a house that cannot be afforded anymore, or even a
fire-breathing dragon who cannot be slain and ravages the character’s homeland
as it pleases. Any circumstance perceived
as “uncontrollable” can also qualify as an uncontrollable circumstance.
This brings me to my next point.
2. Provide a Reason—and
Make it Good!
Piggy-backing off of that first point are the ideas of reason and cause. Every good story features a conflict, and your main
characters should always be at that conflict’s very center. When you strive to
create emotional attachment to your fictional cast, be certain to ask yourself
two questions: (1) what is the cause
of my character’s conflict and (2) for what reason
does that cause exist?
Running with the theme of uncontrollable circumstances, let’s
say that your character is an athlete who’s dream is to eventually gain
entrance into the Olympics. However, one year prior to his debut, this
character sustains a leg injury which he is told will never heal enough for him
to run again, let alone gain him entrance into the upcoming Olympic games next
year. This is the cause of the
character’s conflict. For what reason
does this conflict exist? Was this athlete injured in a reckless training
accident? Crippled by a long-term illness? Perhaps hit by a car while trying to
save a child
Regardless of how far-fetched or down-to-earth the reason for your character’s conflict is,
remember that it is vital to have one. The cause
and the reason play enormous roles in
bringing out emotional attachment in your characters because they reveal the
history of your character’s conflict, spotlight your character’s goals and
dreams, and pinpoint exactly why you
should care about this character in the first place. Remember: the stronger and
more believable your character’s reason
and cause are, the more emotional
attachment you will achieve. The reason
behind your character’s conflict can drastically alter the type of emotional
response that you receive from your readers.
3. Controllable
Circumstances are in the Eye of the Beholder
You must realize that your readers may have differing opinions
on what circumstances are controllable and what circumstances are
uncontrollable. As a writer, you have the power to shift your reader’s
perspective of a seemingly “controllable” circumstance, and thus portray it in
a more sympathetic light.
Let’s go back to the example in point one with the elderly
man. In the second version of the experiment, the elderly man fell while
carrying a bag full of alcohol, apparently drunk (a controllable circumstance),
and thus received less help than he did when he fell with his cane. When the
same experiment was administered via written scenario testing, the results were
the same. However, something interesting occurred when the experimenters added
an extra attachment to the test, detailing the addictive effects of alcohol and
explaining alcoholism as a “disease.” In this second version of the test,
featuring the alcoholism information attachment, the subjects showed a much
higher emotional and empathetic response towards the scenario with the elderly
man and the bag of alcohol, because they began to view his drunkenness as an
uncontrollable—rather than controllable—circumstance.
Similarly, you, the writer and author, have the power to
take a controversially controllable situation and render it “uncontrollable.”
Consider Robin Hood for a moment. If you simply tell your reader that Robin
Hood is a thief who lives in the woods, leads a gang of outcasts, and steals
from the rich to
give to the poor, your reader will likely interpret him as a
trouble-maker, who is too lazy to work for money, and thus steals from those
who have worked hard to build up a comfortable life and fortune. At this point,
Robin Hood’s stealing is a controllable factor. It is something that he chooses
to do, just as he chooses not a get a job for himself and make a decent living.
However, the moment that you introduce the uncontrollable factor—an unjust
ruler who ruthlessly taxes the poor, and sends those who can no longer pay to
prison—you have taken the first step towards gaining your reader’s emotional
attachment to Robin Hood. Once you introduce the cause—the town poor—and the reason—providing
for and protecting those who cannot do so themselves—for his stealing, you have
given your reader Robin Hood’s personal motivation for doing what he does. They
are suddenly more likely to feel emotionally attached to him because he is
daring to face an uncontrollable circumstance that renders everyone helpless.
Considering that few would look upon thievery in a positive, wholesome light, it
is rather amazing that a simple, uncontrollable factor can make us view at it
as such a heroic deed. This is the power of the uncontrollable circumstance.
4. Put your Darkest
Dark next to your Lightest Light
Artists will tell you that, when creating dimension, dark
and light colors must work together. The darker the shadows, the more emphasis
the lighter colors will get, and the more the viewer’s eyes will be drawn to
the light areas.
Similarly, when crafting your characters, particularly your
protagonists, remember that the darker the situation your character faces, the
more emotional attachment you will likely receive from your readers. Make your
antagonist dark. Make it ominous and unstoppable—an “uncontrollable
circumstance,” if you would. It doesn’t have to be an all-powerful dark lord or
a fierce, fire-breathing dragon to be ominous. A less fantastical antagonist
can be just as daunting. It may be a natural disaster, surviving college, overcoming
an injury, or thwarting a terrorist attack.
Whatever your antagonist, make it dark. Bring it out in all
of its ugliness and let your readers know it is a thing to be feared, or to at
least deserve contention.
But, equally as important, don’t forget to portray your
character in the lightest light that you can. This doesn’t mean that you should
make your character perfect and flawless. It simply means that you should
strive to contrast them starkly enough with your antagonist that your readers
come to like them and to dislike whatever is opposing them.
5. Face the
Uncontrollable
Lastly, to achieve truly emotional attachment, I believe
that it is necessary for a character to face their “uncontrollable
circumstance.” Does your character have a gambling addiction that is
threatening their marriage? Have them rethink their life. Does your character
have a crippling fear of tornadoes? Stick them right in the middle of one. Is a
Dark Lord threatening to bring eternal darkness upon a world with nobody capable
of opposing him? Have your character set out to defeat him.
Your character does not need to overcome their “uncontrollable
circumstance” fully. They do not even need to succeed in the attempt. However, for
a truly reader-satisfactory effect, I believe it is necessary for your
characters to face whatever uncontrollable circumstance is hanging over them,
even if they are destined to fail in overcoming it.
Remember, an “uncontrollable circumstance” is one that directly
affects the character and, in turn,
cannot be overcome directly or initially by
your character. This does not mean that the uncontrollable circumstance cannot
be overcome at all. It simply means that, initially, your character is not
capable of overcoming it, must use an unconventional method for conquering it,
or needs outside assistance of some kind in beating it. An uncontrollable
circumstance is a seemingly helpless one, with seemingly being the key word.
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