How to Create Relatable Characters with Suzanne Gilchrist

We have author Suzanne Gilchrist sharing how she creates relatable characters.




Suzanne Gilchrist lives in the Hunter Valley, Australia with her family and pets and is the author of over twenty books, several of which have finalled in writing contests. As S. E. Gilchrist, she writes science fiction, ancient historical, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic romances and romantic suspense. As Suzanne Gilchrist, she writes women’s fiction and contemporary small-town romances, often with a splash of suspense.
Suzanne takes a keen interest in the environment and animal welfare and loves bushwalking and kayaking, spending time with family and friends and walking her dogs. She co-runs Hunter Romance Writers and is the organiser of several group writing ventures.

Suzanne Gilchrist is published with Escape Publishing / Harlequin Australia and is an indie author.
Suzanne Gilchrist on the web:
Website            Facebook         Bookbub
Twitter             Goodreads       Instagram



Hi, I’m S E (aka Suzanne) Gilchrist and I’m excited to be here on Learning to Write as part of my celebrations for the release of my sweet, small-town romance, Take Me Home. 
One of the most important aspects of crafting a compelling story, is ensuring that the reader becomes fully engaged with the characters. You need to get them cheering your hero and heroine forward and you need a likeable, supporting cast. 

But how to create relatable characters?

What helps me is I ask questions of my characters. 

I always start with goal, motivation and conflict. I’ve noticed that my initial answers can change in unexpected ways as my characters continue to reveal their true selves.
For example, my initial idea for the two protagonists for Take Me Home, was a couple in their late twenties / early thirties. But the more questions I asked, I realised they were older with a lot of history behind them.

I needed to know why they were living in this small town, what had brought them there, what was their current situation in regard to relationships, and what did they want out of life.

When I asked this of my heroine, I realised she was almost 40 and had moved to this small country town to begin a new life alone. But why was she alone? What had happened to her? Why, after four years, hadn’t she formed any close friendships?

So – she avoided people. What kind of people? Why? I went back to my first answer - she was going on 40 years old and living alone. I knew immediately that she couldn’t have children. This was why she still kept herself apart.

This gave me her conflict and the bones of my story.

I knew I had to challenge her – force her to confront her past. Show her a different future. Give her the motivation to find the strength to move forward.

And what could be more challenging than put her in a situation where she feels compelled to give a temporary home to two orphaned boys? Of course, they couldn’t be the babies she’s always wanted – no, I made them older, 11 and 14 and with their own wounds.
But I wanted to give her support. Enter her estranged husband and a new set of questions. 

Who was he? Why had he left? Where had he been living since their separation? Why had he returned?

I knew the reason he came to town had to be that he still loved her and when he’d heard she was in danger, dropped everything to be by her side.

Not only did the answers to these questions give life to the hero but they also provided more flesh to my plot with additional emotional conflict.

Over the years, I’ve drawn up quite a large list of questions that I pick from when I’m inventing new characters.


Begin making your own lists. You’ll find that you won’t need to use every question on every character, and as you can see from my experience, the answers can help define your story.

Take Me Home (Bindarra Creek A Town Reborn)

Forgiving the past was too painful until now.

Almost forty, Abby Taylor has built a new life for herself in the small country town of Bindarra Creek. When an old friend convinces her to give two adolescent boys a temporary home, she is torn between a growing love for these orphans and the grief in her past.

After his marriage fell apart, Roman Taylor has focused on his career. An unexpected phone call sends him rushing to Abby’s side where he is drawn into his estranged wife’s new life – a life that could offer a future he thought he’d lost forever.
Will they seize this second chance to have a family of their own? Or will fate once again destroy their dreams?

Welcome to Bindarra Creek – A Town Reborn, a fictional town set on the western slopes of the New England tablelands. Take me Home is the first book in this new group writing venture series. With a community full of quirky characters, the books feature compelling romance, heart-warming family life, drama, and even suspense.

Buy on:


iBooks      Nook      Kobo     Angus & Robertson   







15 comments:

  1. That's a good way to figure out who the characters are.

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    1. Thanks Liz. I love delving into characters and learning about how they are and what makes them tick. Thanks for dropping by.

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  2. Interesting information :)

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    1. Thanks Iwona. Appreciate you joining me here today.

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  3. I enjoyed reading about how you came up with the characters.

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    1. Hi Mary, Great to see you here. I love how asking characters questions also gives me lots of insight into my stories. Have a lovely day.

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  4. That's similar to the way I flesh out my characters. I do in-depth profiles on each of them.

    I've already read (and reviewed!) this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to re-visiting Bindarra Creek sometime in the future. :)

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    1. I do too Susan. Its a good way to learning how your character will react to different situations. Thank you so much for leaving a review and I'm so glad that you liked my story. Have a lovely day.I appreciate you dropping by.

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  5. I love these little writing communities. Love all the info.

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    1. Yes, its amazing what a wealth of knowledge is out there and how many authors love to share. Thanks for dropping by.

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  6. thank you to explaining about "character"...I got it.

    Have a great day

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    1. That's awesome Tanza - thanks for joining me here.

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  7. What an interesting post. It was clear that the questions Suzanne asked herself helped her to develop her characters and story. Thanks for sharing. This sounds like an interesting story. Best of luck to Suzanne. :)
    ~Jess

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  8. Hi Jess. I appreciate you joining me here on this blog and thankyou for the kind wishes.

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