You’ve got a flow going. The inciting incident is spot on and the pacing is running at a good clip. But that one character?

There is something you like about her otherwise you would have thrown her out a long time ago. But as you read through your manuscript with an objective eye, you notice she might as well be a fly on the wall without eyes. She’s already got a motivation towards her purpose but something’s missing.

Here are a few ideas:

• What is she afraid of?
• What flaws does she have?
• Shape her background/history so we better understand what made her “tick” to life in the first place.
• Show her personality through her actions and creative dialogue.
• Give her some interests other than star gazing.
• What are the quirky qualities that make her memorable?
• Is she a relatable character that holds common ground with the human reader?
• How does she handle struggle and crisis? (Shrugs don’t count)
• Make your reader fight for your character’s right to be in the book! (Or, make your character fight to remain)

Keep your characters alive!

Here’s a link for more on the topic.