You can always make a bigger mistake

There are worse things than creating a character that some readers don’t like, which is what I did in my first novel, A FALSE DAWN. Now I love my character, Louise, but she doesn’t ask for help from anyone else, nor does she offer much help to others. She’s very much like me. So despite her resourcefulness and courage, some readers find her aloof and self-centered.

What’s worse, however, is creating a character that readers not only don’t like, but don’t understand, because you haven’t given readers enough information about your character. I really thought I had done that, but for some readers, I did not.

To get invested in a character, to care about her, readers need lots of information, which means you’ve got to step back from your writing and ask yourself, “I THINK I’ve given my reader plenty of information on this character, but have I really? Am I leaving too much unsaid?”

Of course, just because “some” readers don’t like or understand a character doesn’t mean you’ve failed with most readers. But if your readers are serious and discerning, you need to hear what they’re saying and see if there’s really a problem in the copy that you can fix.

Which means that when my final box of paperback novels is gone, and the last one is sold, I may go back and add more copy to the book, which I self-published four years ago. More about Louise. I thought I was done with the first novel. I’m already well into the second and third volumes. But I’ve already got lots of ideas for revisions on A FALSE DAWN.

I’m glad I enjoy the process.