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WHEN you read, oneof the strongest bonds a reader develops with a character is an emotional tie. We start to care about what happens to them and how. And it the emotion that can kick us in the gut. Think about books you bought, ones that made you cry, ones where you just couldn't let go of a character after the last page. When that happens chances are the author was fairly succesful in hitting you where it hurts. Now it's your turn to make a mess out of someone and here are some tips on how to do that.
ONE, make your reader root for your character. Make them want is as bad as they do. Make your character "stretch out their arms" towards their goal, make them "brush it with their fingerstips". Make your character want something so much that the reader wants it too.
TWO, when your character trips and stumbles and stops to question themselves, the readers will hold their breath.
THREE, make sure to push your character to their limits and even a little beyond. Make them find something in themselves that pushes them that one little step further.
FOUR, when your character hits rockbottom, make them scrape themselves back together. Make them find a reason to fight on.
FIVE, leave a trail of intrique, of questions, of "what if", "what next?" "How," and "why?"
SIX, don't feel pressured to kill of your character. A character dead isn't the only thing that can make you cry. Especially if you only kill the character to generate emotional appeal. Character dead should serve the plot, not the shock factor of your story. Like anything else in your story, only do it if it must be done for the plot and there's no way around it. If you kill of a character, make sure to do it in a good way. Make them struggle for their life, don't let them give up easy, make them fight for breath. Maybe even leave a goal of them unfinished.
SEVEN, what is the worst that can happen that isn't predictable? Make it happen. Just make sure the readers can hang on to hope.
SO, this were some tips on creating emotional ties for the readers, something that could leave them in tears at the end of a chapter.
