Should You Feel Like You KNOW A Character Right From The Start?

I don't need to know the characters back story right off the bat, but I should feel comfortable with the character within the first few paragraphs. You do this with actions. Create situations where the character's actions speak for themselves.

For example, I started a book the other day. The author had a man driving in a truck into the wilderness. He didn't say a word but he occasionally looked down at a gun in the passenger seat. When his vehicle can no longer proceed over the terrain, he gets out, checks his water bottle, puts the gun in his pocket, slings a backpack over his shoulder and starts hiking. When he gets tired, he sits down to have some water and a candy bar when he spots a rattle snake beside him. Then the author says that he came there for the express purpose of killing snakes. So he stands and take aim. I don't know the motivation for his actions but I'm very intrigued with the character and I want to continue reading. If the plot starts before I'm attached to the character, I'm just bored. Later you find out that he's depressed, doesn't believe in suicide, but wants to kill some snakes because that's what he did as a kid back when he was happy. Still don't know much about him but you're even more intrigued.

As the plot goes on, you'll learn all about his past, how he thinks he's cursed because everyone around him dies, how and why he grew up his business and sold it, etc etc, but it's all laid on a foundation of this interesting thing that happened right on the first couple of pages in the book.

Character development doesn't mean telling the reader everything about the character in the first few chapters, it means building up a personality in the space you have. From the first few lines the essence of a character should come through, whether their past is shrouded in mystery or not.

Sometimes the best character development in entire novels happens around a character whose past is never even illuminated. When the first line you read of a character (either said by them or said about them) makes you want to run away from them, or curl up close to them or just know more about them Right Now, you know that you're doing a good job.

Clarify what the reader meant by what she said. She may have been trying to tell you that your characters didn't touch her on any emotional level (as all characters should within the first two chapters - the first two paragraphs even).

I like to meet new characters slowly, in the way that you meet new people. You don't know from a hand-shake that someone's mother died of cancer three months ago and that they're holding together because everything else is falling apart, I don't want to know that about a new character either. But I do want to be able to look at a new character and have them make me laugh, or cringe, or react in some definite way (feel some definite emotion) just as I would if meeting a person.

Well, I don't think it's good to feel distant with the character. I guess you want to feel, involved in a way. How can people be thrilled by a story, if somehow, some part of them didn't feel they were involved, or even the main character is themselves. So, you can see the undesired effects of a character that you didn't know too well. I think a balance is fine, because I too enjoy a story that makes my brain work; Otherwise, reading is quite dull to be honest.

(that was my first time ever using one of ; those things. :) don't know if I used it right but oh well. )

You don't have to reveal his past just yet if it would hinder the progress of your story, but, let them know the character well and his or her behavior. It's so great, that feel where you're attached to a character. Sometimes when I read fanfiction about harry potter (yes, I know that is beyond LAME) I end up getting outraged because I'm complaining on how they got the character wrong and saying "He wouldn't do that." It just proves who well I know and how familiar I am with the character. So, try to build this. hah Don't let the main character give us the cold shoulder.

Hm... Good question. No, I don't feel that I need to know my characters right from the beginning. I like developing them at first with their basic personalities and how I see them in my head and then let them roam themselves, developing as the story progresses. As long as a character begins to flesh out in your head, I think that's fine. Lot's of characters start of this way, but the reader should only make their decisions about what the character is like by the middle of the book seeing as then the character has actually done something. I would find it irritating to find out everything by chapter two, because that's what's part of a great story.

:-) Good Luck

No, I like a little mystery to a character, it adds suspense/drama down the road,and gives the reader something to look forward too. In life, we don't get to know everything about someone when we meet them, it takes time to get to know someone. I think this applies to characters in a book as well. Sometimes we may instantly dislike the bad guy, by the way he acts, but we learn to hate him, as the story progresses, or we may not initially trust a certain character right away, but then we learn what they've been through, or they may change and grow along the way. So, I think it keeps the story interesting.

I think that as the writer, you're still learning things about your character as you write as well. It's a voyage of discovery for both you and the character, so it only makes sense that you'll realize things later on in writing. As long as the character has some details at the start-- enough to make them human, and the reader can connect to them-- then you're fine, I would say.

Being in touch with your character can really help. If you feel like you know the character, then you can also get a feel of how you think they would act, what they would say & what they would look like. It doesn't matter if you don't know them straight away, so long as you get to know them later on or during. I think that the type of story you're writing is a good choice.

I like to know about the characters from the start. Not necessarily the past, you don't have to give off the secret backstory in the beginning, but a general view of what and how is the character where he/she is now. I do like to keep guessing, but if I don't know anything about the character first I wouldn't care to guess.

Isn't it easier for the reader to know the "character" of the character right off the bat, so they know who they are dealing with and "why" the dynamics of their relationships are what they are.?

Sure throw in maybe one with a little mystery about them, but why keep the reader guessing too much ?

This is just me, tired of a "mystery" relationship that I could never understand, but tried, it does get frustrating, so in my "prejudiced" viewpoint I just say keep it simple with a "little mystery" in one character.

I disagree with your interpretation of HER interpretation. I don't think she expected to know the character right away (I agree with you that the fun of reading is to puzzle this out), but I think you aren't giving enough hints. You need to drop threads that there ARE secrets etc., but not what they are, or it's just going to come off like bad characterization and most of your audience won't keep reading to chapter 10 where they realize why you did this.