Too nice to be a writer?

I’m a nice person. I’m kind to older people. Babies and children have a soft spot in my heart and I regularly sneak into pet shops to ooo and aaaah over puppies and kittens. So when it comes to being mean to my characters? I find it hard.

And yet, sweet and kind, a bestseller does not make! 

So what do we writers do? We weave a giant character flaw into the make-up of our protagonist. Then we line up the challenges… each more wicked than the one before... all aimed at that tender spot. Stack up the odds, make the goal more than impossible. We pluck their heartstrings like a mournful violin because that is what keeps our book glued into the reader’s hands and carves our words onto their hearts.

Have you ever wondered why that formula works?

I think…

• We as humans take courage in the courage of others. It feeds that place in us that says – get up, keep moving, you can do this! Whatever your 'this' may be… proposing to your beloved, picking up dog poo on the lawn, facing another round of chemo.

• Seeing someone overcome their fears makes us brave.

• A well-constructed fictional character comes alive inside the reader. Who wouldn’t want to see your friend overcome?

So nice writers dig deep and get mean because in our heart of hearts we know that our protagonist has it inside to rise to the challenge, to overcome, to grow! Why? Because we made them that way. Much like God made us.

How about you? Do your character’s troubles get you in a knot, or do you rub your hands gleefully with every added landmine?

Dianne J. Wilson writes novels from her hometown in East London, South Africa, where she lives with her husband and three daughters. She has just signed a three book contract for a YA series, Spirit Walker, with Pelican / Watershed.

Finding Mia is available from Amazon, Pelican / Harbourlight, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.

Shackles is available as a free ebook from Amazon & Smashwords.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter and her sporadic blog Doodles.