Character Development

What defines a great book? Is it a fascinating story line? Splendid writing? Or conflicts the characters face and hopefully overcome? It took me three attempts to write, My Red Shoes, my still oh-so-unpublished novel. During the second draft, I was told unequivocally, that the protagonist was an unsympathetic character. Unsympathetic? At first my feelings were crushed like shards of glass. The desire I once had to write the story weakened to a faint pulse, my passion for the characters diminished until the only noise I heard was the sound of the other voice, the one telling me to throw in the towel, to take up the harmonica instead. I am glad I didn't listen to that tyrannical fearful taunt. Perseveringly, I retrieved my laptop from its quarantined corner in the spare room and said to myself, never give up. Like the first squiggly lines on an etch-a-sketch, I began to draw them out, the people in my story, getting to know them. It's a process, developing strong, altruistic characters. It means allowing them freedom to find their own way, to make mistakes, suffer hardship, and if the story calls for it, weep with them in triumph. I like that. The triumph. We are all born with untold stories inside of us patiently waiting to unfold. Every challenge and success we experience writes a new chapter of our lives, creates new scenes. As in all beautiful stories, we cannot witness the full potential of the protagonists without them first undergoing character development. And like writing a compelling tale, our own character develops over time, with much patience as we walk under the umbrella of grace. Hopefully along the way, we will catch glimmers of the pristine place deep inside, the place that eagerly awaits our blossoming character, our sympathetic selves.