Cardboard Characters?

If you are having trouble with your characters being flat and boring to your reader, you will certainly lose many that you could have called fans. "An attentive writer is midwife, nanny, uncle and undertaker to the story's characters." says Paul Raymond Martin in The Writer's Little Instruction Book. The title suggests there are 385 Secrets for Writing Well & Getting Published. and I certainly agree.

You must remember that your characters best side is reflected in their reaction/action from the detritus of personal experience.  Their deepest emotions are the stuff of reader enjoyment. If you can remember how it felt when you tripped on stage as you picked up your High School diploma, or caught your heel in your prom gown and nearly exposed your...well let the imagination fill in the blanks. Remembering your emotional reactions to certain situations are sure to give you methods and means to translate your characters emotions into real life for your reader. Don't squander that opportunity use it for all your worth. Create fallibly, memorable characters. Characters In Search of an Author could help you design that perfect mix of character and emotion.