Somewhere out there is a reader who is going to stay up past midnight because of a character you created.

They're going to feel that strange little sense of grief when your story ends because it means leaving your character that they'd come to love.

They're going to carry your character around in their head for days after closing the book,

the same way that you've carried the characters that mattered the most to you.

And this doesn't happen by accident. It happens because of how you've carried the characters that mattered the most to you. And this doesn't happen

by accident. It happens because of how you've developed that character. Welcome to the fiction

writing made easy podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo and I'm here to help you write a story that works.

I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming. So each

week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable, and step-by-step strategies that

you can implement in your writing right away. So whether you're brand new to writing or more of a

seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get

started. In today's episode, we're

talking about what actually makes readers fall in love with a character and why likability,

relatability, and all the usual character development targets aren't actually it. Now, you already

know what this feels like from the reader's side. You know what it's like to stay up past midnight because you need to know what happens in a story.

Maybe you've closed the book and felt that strange little sense of grief because the story ending meant leaving someone you'd come to love.

Or maybe you've carried a character around for days in your mind after finishing a book.

If you're an avid reader, you probably know exactly what

I'm talking about. And now that's what you're trying to create from the writer's side. But if you're

like most of the writers I talk to, there's a good chance you've been aiming at the wrong target.

Here's what I mean by that. Somewhere along the way, most of us pick up this idea that the goal

of character development is to make our characters likable or

...