Character, Sympathy and Suspense
If you like a character, you care what happens to them. We worry. We feel suspense. Writers like us to connect with their characters so that we keep reading.
- We connect with likable people.
- We connect with admirable people: admirable or “aspirational” characters we want to be like!
- We connect with people we relate to: “relatable” characters who are like us!
By the way, “aspirational” and “relatable” are new words used in fields like politics and advertising where it’s important to get your audience to care about someone they hardly know!
Middle School Reading 