Because you are reading this article, you are interested in writing a novel. Perhaps you have a vague idea; perhaps you've got a well thought out story structure, perhaps you've even written several hundred pages of draft.

Whatever stage you are in writing your novel, you have decided to take some of your creative ideas and turn them into something tangible. Something that others will hopefully read and enjoy. Many people can easily realize that one of the greatest sources of pleasure is a gripping novel. There is not reason why the next novel they read can't be yours.

One of the most important things in creating an engaging story is developing strong characters. If you think back, now, to some of the characters you found particularly engaging, you'll realize they had certain qualities. Some qualities that you admired, and others that you thought were perhaps less than desirable. The secret is to create characters that will hold peoples attention, and create in your readers a deep desire to see your characters succeed.

To do this, your characters must be just like you. Real issues, real limitations, and real strengths.
It's nice to read about a comic book superhero that always kills the bad guy in the end, but there is a reason those are only in comic books, where they story only lasts a few pages of mostly pictures.

In a book, just like the one you are creating, your characters must carry your reader's interest to the very end. Because you have taken steps in the process of creating your literary work, you likely can acknowledge this. And when you think back to some of the most moving characters you've enjoyed in the past, you will realize that their issues are just as human as yours.

Issues that you face on a daily basis are the same ones that everybody else has. Giving an inside scoop of the human condition. An inside scoop that you can transform into breathtaking conflict and the success of overcoming obstacles.

The more you get in touch with all those times in the past where you've met with struggles and prevailed, the easier it will be to provide your readers with characters that do the same things.

Because of that, you have an inside secret into the mind of your characters. Their hopes, their dreams, their fears, their anxieties can be just the same as yours. When you create a character that is as real as yourself, you've got a winner on your hands.