Y is for Yearning: Characters We All Can Relate To

At the core of most people's lives is a sense of longing, yearning, desire -- maybe it's for someone to love or to be loved, maybe it's to acquire wealth or fame, maybe it's to do good and make a difference. We all yearn for something and the quest at the core of our lives is the fulfillment of that longing -- raising healthy children, writing a book, being a good citizen. Longing is both a blessing and a curse, it gives us purpose and it frustrates us when it seems unattainable. For writers creating characters that readers can relate to requires that those characters yearn for something. It gives them motivation and purpose and it makes them come alive.


Throughout my reading life the characters I've loved the most were those driven by a longing for something better. So, as a writer, I've tried to create characters driven by purpose. Clair and Pio long for adventure, Baptiste longs for self-respect, Gabe longs for love, Peter longs for God. In my newest novel, Depraved Heart, now available in paperback and digital, all three of the main characters are driven by yearning. Anjelica, the "poor little rich girl", yearns for a family. Tempest, the tormented empath, longs for inner peace. Syd, the strong stoic, yearns, too, though we are not sure for what and that forms the core of the story.

Of course, I, as a writer, long to write good books -- books that people will enjoy and think about and remember. It is an endless journey but a good one, a journey filled with purpose and joy.

Paperback: from Amazon & from Barnes & Noble

Digital: for Kindle & for Nook

This blog post is part of the April 2012 A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. Thanks for visiting.