How much can a character endure?

You've finally figured it out. You've killed your MC's parents, best friend and dog. Your MC has been thrown off a cliff, barely survived and has to limp 50 miles back to save his love interest from certain death. On the way he encounters wild animals and crazy people who are trying to kill him.

So ... why would we put him/her through all that?

We all know we need to raise the stakes in our MC's lives. We have to throw them into situations that nearly crush them to pieces. We want them to hurt. Emotionally and physically. We want to draw our readers in so far that they cannot put the book down. We want them to feel the emotion. Root for our MC to come out on top.

But how do we know what to throw at them? How do we know how much our MC can handle and when enough is enough?

One of my favorite t.v. shows was Alias. The MC Sydney Bristow was a double agent and was so freaking awesome. I loved seeing her in action, beating the crap out of bad guys. But aside from her kickboxing skills, she was such a real character. She lost so many people. She cried. She hurt. She went through losing her fiance, her best friend and her parents, to still fighting for what was right. I loved her. Even though she had so many obstacles to overcome, she kept going.

When I'm writing I tend to think about what I would do in a situation. Most of the time I'd cower in a corner or run away screaming, but then I think if my family were involved, I would stay and fight. I'd fight for them and I use that to get inside my characters heads. My MC's always have someone they care about. Someone they would die for.

Make sure your MC's have something to fight for. To keep living for. Don't just chuck them in a hole full of rattlesnakes for no reason. There has to be a purpose for everything they go through. To grow, to make them realize how much they have to lose.

How do you know how much is too much for your characters to go through? How do you put them in situations that seem hopeless and make them come out on top?

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What makes a great character?

We all have our characters that we love. They are part of us. They speak to us in ways non-writers don't understand. ;) So, what makes a character great? Is it personality? Quirks? Habits? Actions?
I've been thinking about some of my favorite characters from books and movies and decided to put some of my favorite t.v. show characters on here. Enjoy! :)

J.D. from Scrubs

Okay. So I got introduced to this show just recently. My hubby and I have been watching it on Netflix and it is seriously hilarious. The show is told through J.D.'s point of view. He's weird, he's quirky and the thing I love about him is that he doesn't care. One of his famous little quirks is he cocks his head to the side and looks up. It's a cue for a daydream coming on, and let me tell you, his daydreams are freaking hilarious and SO random. But, that's just his character. He's random and fun, but is so loyal and loving to his friends.I really love this character and was sad when he wasn't on the show anymore. It just wasn't as good. What I'm trying to say, is when you become so invested in a character and the book ends, its really hard to let them go. I think that is why I like series so much. I just love seeing what else could happen in the characters life. I love those kinds of books.

Sydney Bristow from Alias

Uh ... this girl kicks butt. Literally.  I loved Alias from the beginning. I loved Sydney's character. She was a double agent for the government trying to take down bad people. She wasn't afraid of beating the crap out a bad guy. Yet, when she wasn't doing her job, she was kind, sweet, had regular problems like a non-existent relationship with her dad, and a complicated love interest whom I adored. And was extremely loyal to her friends. It was one of those shows that I cared about the characters so much, that I tuned in every week to see what was happening to them. Loved her character. I loved seeing the different sides of her. I try to keep my characters like that in my books. Different sides for different situations and/or people. Try to get into their heads and dig deep into their personalities. Show the reader you know your character inside and out.

John Locke from Lost

Okay. So, this guy was strange. He was SO interesting and complex that I just had to find out what made him tick. Why did he do the things he did? Which is so great. I love the characters that just do things out of the ordinary. That make you think. Locke definitely had reasons for the things he did on the island, but he never let us know why. He kept us guessing, and that is a great thing complex characters have. They're different. Not ordinary. Make your characters interesting enough that we want to find out what happens to them. We want to know why they do the things they do. Make them stand out. Surprise us.

Chandler from Friends

Do I even have to explain why I loved this character? He was freaking hilarious. He had his funny quirks, his hilarious phrases, and I loved seeing him freak out in different situations. Honestly, he was my favorite character on the show. He had a great personality. Even though he had his weird girlfriends, it was so fun to see him go through his relationships and finally settle down with his perfect match. So, give us a likable, amazing character with habits that are all his own. Put him/her in different situations and let us go through them with him. I love likable characters. Even if they have their issues, if a character can make me laugh, and can laugh through things as well, then I'm all for them.

Who are some of your favorite t.v. characters?

Good and bad habits. Do your characters have them?

I'm not doing a book review today, since I didn't have time to read this past week. So, I thought I'd talk a little about habits. Yes, habits. We all have them, good or bad.
For example. My mom always twists one strand of hair when she's bored. She does it while driving all the time, and I don't remember a time when she didn't do it. It's just something she does, and I'm sure she'll always do it.
My son has a habit of playing with his ears. He'll twist them and pull on them. He tells me they are cold, and it drives me crazy because he does it all the time! I have him wear a hat at home so he doesn't do it so often. His teacher probably thinks he has horrible ear infections or something. Oh well.
Now for an annoying habit of mine. I have a habit of putting my hands by my neck when I'm nervous. Usually when I'm sitting down and someone is staring at me across the table.
I also separate my M&M's into colors and have to eat them in a certain order. I have to have the same amount of each, so I make sure to eat the extras before I put them into individual piles, and I never ever just eat a handful. It's something I've always done, and even though my hubby thinks I'm insane, I still do it.
Anyway, do your MC's have certain habits that they always seem to be doing? We've all read about the characters who chew on their bottom lip, or bit their lip/tongue so hard it bleeds. I'm talking about something unique. Something that is part of your character and makes them genuine and real. One of my characters likes to put salt on everything, even before she tastes her food. Another one picks at his fingernails when he's bored.

I think it's important to have your characters be as real as possible. They have faults, they have annoying habits and their own quirks. They are their own person, and it's nice to read about someone who seems as real as we are. :)
What is an annoying habit you have? Is it something that you do that drives you crazy or something you accept because it's who you are?

Inspiration

I was wondering where writers get their inspiration from. When did your first character speak to you, and what did you do about it? My first character, that I can remember distinctly, came to me while I was driving to my mom's house about a year ago. I'm not sure why she spoke to me, but I listened and wrote her story in about six months. The first draft was awful. Now, I am an edit freak when it comes to my writing, and I have to basically make myself keep writing, rather than go back and edit everything a hundred times. I could spend an hour on one paragraph if I let myself. Is anyone else like this? Anyway, back to the real story, since editing will take up a huge post in itself...
My character is a princess. I knew she would be very different from the typical ones. My prince would be as well. Writing about her was fun, since she is sassy, doesn't take crap from anyone, and could kick anyone's butt in a sword fight. (I know, a sword fighting princess, there are a few of those out there) Anyway, I have loved writing about her, and getting to know her strengths, weakness's, and fears. It's interesting how you can love a character so much, even if you were the one who created them. I don't know if my first novel will ever be published, but it was such a great learning experience, that it will always have a special place in my heart. I'm working on my second novel now, and it is completely different from my first. I have learned so much from editing my first, and what people like and dislike, that I am even more excited for my second! Anyway, enough rambling. What was your first character like, and why did you feel the need to write their story down?