Big Surprises - Characters My Readers Like Most

Part of getting a book ready for publishing is finding good and reliable Beta Readers—wonderful people who take the time to read an early version of your book and provide helpful suggestions. These can range from grammar corrections to insights about plot, character development, missing elements, and confusing aspects. It's a humbling but incredibly valuable process, often involving family, friends, and even some potential readers you've never met.

One of the most surprising results of this process was from a simple question: "Who is your favorite character and why?" When developing the book, my goal was to make the characters as real as possible, reflecting both the best and worst parts of us. I assumed most readers would connect with the obvious "hero" or one of the characters I thought were inherently "better people."

Oh boy, was I wrong!

My good friend Michael’s favorite character was Paul—this caught me off guard. To me, it seemed strange, and my other friend Tony even said, "Paul's a dweeb!" While I won’t spoil anything, I didn’t expect anyone to relate to Paul. But after that feedback, I began to see Paul in a new light. Claire, my audiobook narrator, also mentioned that she was completely shocked by what happens to him (no spoilers!). As a result, Paul became a character I now view with more depth and appreciation.

On the other hand, my cousin Melissa—a fantastic author herself (check her out at Engen Books)—chose Alex as her favorite character. He was my favorite, too, at first. But interestingly, the more I edited and revisited the book, the less I connected with him. Maybe because Alex represents the pragmatic part of myself that I sometimes find too rigid.

What really surprised me was how people connected with characters that reflected their own lives in unexpected ways. It made me realize that how I perceive a character might be completely different from how readers interpret them.

O Paul, where art thou?

Till next time!
Len