Whether you’re reading or watching a story, there is happiness, sadness, and fear portrayed that demands a response from you. You will usually feel the thrill of a cool stunt or a warm feeling when the romance ends in a kiss.
I will often cry at the movies or while reading, and talk about characters as if they’re real. However, I know not everyone connects to characters as deeply as I do.
Whether you connect naturally with characters or not, I do believe there is value in doing so and practicing it.
Connection
I’ve spoken about it a lot and I will say it again: Stories are a reflection of life. They are drawn from real people, the real world, and real circumstances. They are also drawn from real emotions.
The emotions in fictitious stories are the same ones we feel in real life. Therefore, if we can connect to characters, we can understand the people around us on a deeper level.
When we understand more of people, we have more empathy. We have a bit more insight into people, so we can better know how to interpret them.
These fictional characters aren’t real, but their emotions are drawn from real people.
Comprehension
The great thing about characters in fictional stories, is that the author often allows us to see into the thoughts and feelings of a character more than we can of an actual person. This makes a great tool for us to use to better understand real people.
Here is an exercise I often practice intentionally and naturally while reading, watching, or reflecting on a story: I pick a character and a scene, and I imagine how they feel.
Zone out everything in your life, and think of the character’s life. Think of their past history, their fears, victories, and failures. Think of their situation in the story. What are the stakes?
And now open yourself up to their emotions. Allow yourself to take the information, become the character for a moment, and feel the emotions they feel. Feel their sorrow, despair, and hopelessness. Feel their satisfaction, happiness, and comfort.
This goes a long way into how you can understand and empathize with others. Once you practice this on characters, you are more equipped to understand and feel what a real person does in their life. You can have a bigger heart and a more informed mind.
This is also something I do when I’m writing a story. I go through this exercise, and I try to find out what the character would be feeling at this time, and what actions they would feel compelled to take.
This is a powerful tool for writers and readers (or viewers) alike. It is a look into human nature which we can use to write great stories and understand people around us.
Action
Next time you read or watch a movie or TV show, pick a scene and try to put yourself in the character’s place.
Don’t worry if it is hard at first. The more you practice, the easier it should be.
Photo Credit: cnajhar Flickr via Compfight cc
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S.J. Siedenburg is a thriller & fantasy novelist, an editor, and a bibliophile with a passion for stories and helping writers finish their novels. She’s the author of the guidebooks Character Presentation, Before the First Draft, and the How to Write a Novel online course. Six of her short stories have been published through writing contests. Sarah lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” —John 1:5