Who Is She?

What drives a story? Is it plot? Is it conflict? Is it character?

I think for me, I read a book because of the characters. It's the reason I gravitate toward series. I want to stick with a character story after story.

Some of my favorite characters are C.S. Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr, Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge, and Sheila Connolly's Meg Corey. I've discussed before Harris's character descriptions; she has a talent of introducing an aspect of Sebastian's character when it fits the plot, and not all in the first four pages.

But it cannot be denied: the first four pages can make or break your novel. I don't mean four pages as a definitive number but rather as the general idea of "the beginning." Becca Puglisi shares what she believes makes a great beginning, in her article for a writers' website. She writes, "Empathy draws readers in and keeps them engaged. In today’s market, with its growing availability of affordable books, it’s imperative that we hook readers from the very start. To achieve this end, here are some elements that can help you create reader empathy early on."

Puglisi says desperate circumstances can grab readers' attention. I can't say I've done that with my second novel, tentatively titled On the Brink. Not with the first character I introduce, anyway. But the antagonist, Duncan, was supposed to be a foil for Lucy and William -- obnoxious, overbearing, slightly frightening in his attempts to woo Lucy. Two chapters after I introduce him, I fell in love with him, and as a result he took over the second half of the book.

One of my favorites, Ian Rutledge, perfectly typifies Puglisis' next suggestion: introduce intrigue. We all love a mystery, even if the genre itself isn't mystery. As humans, we all have aspects of our character that we hide from others, usually out of self-protection, or pieces of our character that we don't even acknowledge to ourselves. Why doesn't Lucy always look at her feet? Why does she only work outside, instead of in the kitchen with Bec? Why does she want to cry when Sadie stays inside with Bec? Hopefully my readers stick around long enough to find out.

Puglisi points out that even the most "abrasive or offensive characters need good qualities to round them out." Very few antagonists are Lex Luther-type villains. Perhaps because our protags are very rarely Superman, kryptonite or no. But all of our characters, heroes and villains, need to be likeable. My first novel, In the Shadow of Mr. Lincoln, revolves around three main characters. Abby, the main female protagonist, is not unlike Meg, a secondary character. They are both strong young women with a plan and a disinclination to follow the roles 1860 had set out for them. But Abby is so unpleasant. I really don't like her. Thankfully, that first introduction to her is not the end of her story.

There other ways to engage your readers. How do you engage your readers in the first four pages?