The Slow Build of Believability

Most of us have probably been told to “plunge your main character into terrible trouble as quickly as possible.” This is a good motto to write by, and will help as we pitch to agents, our agents pitch to publishers, and ultimately, our readers decide whether to keep reading.

But there is also a whiplash-like phenomenon when we try to dump all the terrible trouble on our MC at one time, reveal the character arc in that great, epic scene we spent three days on, and tie it all up with our final, thought-out sentence.

To be clear, terrible trouble is a necessity, character arc is needed, and that epic scene provides the great payoff to the readers that we set up at the beginning.

However, especially when it comes to fantasy and science fiction, where we’re world-building like crazy and using uncommon character names, there needs to be a level of believability.

Just like building character in the real world takes time, building characters in fiction requires time as well. This demands specificity in our writing. It demands setups we may not even realize we’re writing into our story.

Pet-the-dog Moments

Including moments when our MC shows unnecessary compassion on a person or even an animal goes a long way in building credibility. Scenes where they tip generously when no one’s looking, stop to pick up the bottle in the dirt, or listen to the homeless person when they’re in a rush, these types of scenes build character credibility. Credibility brings believability.

Appropriate On-the-Nose Moments

No one wants to read about the character answering the phone by walking through their kitchen to the bedroom, unplugging it from the charger, swiping to open, and saying hello. (Or taking the parchment from the carrier pigeon, depending on your time period!) The important thing is to show routine in an engaging way. Once readers connect with the MC at a base level, they’ll connect with their humanness. Connection brings believability.

Destroying the Status Quo

Once we’ve set up that our MC is credible, believable, and someone readers can connect with, it’s imperative we destroy the status quo again, and again, and again. After all, we need to plunge our main character into terrible trouble as quickly as possible. Not just in the first pages, but that trouble needs to follow them like a shadow until they bring their heroism into the light of the final pages.

Slowly building credibility will leave readers deeply connected with the MC. That type of connection is what makes MC’s not only credible and believable, but memorable. Memorable characters stick with readers. And when characters stick, publishers will want to publish!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Writer, working with brands to grow their audience reach. She studied Strategic Communications at Cornerstone University and focused on writing during her time there, completing two full-length manuscripts while a full-time student. Currently she trains under best-selling author Jerry Jenkins in his Your Novel Blueprint course and is actively seeking publication for two books.

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