How Do You End a Story? Tips & Examples That Work
January 19, 2026
How to Write Emotional Scenes (Complete Guide + Tips)
January 20, 2026How Do You End a Story? Tips & Examples That Work
January 19, 2026How to Write Emotional Scenes (Complete Guide + Tips)
January 20, 2026What Makes a Character Relatable? Simple Guide with Examples
Have you ever read a novel and thought “This character feels real,” but you are not quite sure why? Readers emotionally connect with the story through the characters within the story and such characters are called relatable characters. This is where many beginning writers struggle to write characters. They create characters who have back stories, but their characters remain flat. So, what exactly makes a character relatable in story writing?
A relatable character is a character that the readers can understand on an emotional level, even if their lives are different. Readers relate to characters who are emotional, possess strong wants, believable flaws and reactions. In simple words, a character has a relatable quality when he/she feels like a real person with real problems.
How to Make a Character Relatable
If you want to make your character more relatable to readers, here is a simple step by step way to do that. Before that, keep this in mind, Start small. You don’t need to have a huge character backstory, what you really need is clarity.
Give your character a certain desire
A character is made powerful when he or she has a clear want. It could be love, safety, respect and freedom, success, forgiveness. The goal doesn’t have to be dramatic, it simply needs to mean something deeply to your character.
Along with desire, show what’s at stake. What will they lose if they fail? The higher the emotional stakes the stronger the reader’s connection.
If readers know what the character wants, they start to care.
For example, a young woman trying to save her family’s bookstore can be just as relatable as a hero trying to save the world, because the emotional need behind both goals is human.
Add a real fear or weakness
Readers identify with characters who do not have everything under control. For example,
- Brave in public and afraid of rejection
- Gifted but lazy
- Kind but too trusting
Flaws are what make the characters feel real. Weakness causes tension and allows the character room to develop. If your character is right all the time, always strong and never confused, although your readers might admire them, they won’t be able to relate to them.
Use specific emotions and not vague emotions
Don’t just say your character is sad or angry or nervous. Instead, show how that emotion is impacting them in the moment,
- Do they avoid eye contact?
- Speak too fast?
- Replay a memory in their head?
- Pretend they are fine?
These particular reactions cause emotions to feel alive. Physical reactions like a tight throat, shaky hands or avoiding eye contact make emotions feel grounded and real.
Instead of writing, “He was nervous” you could write, “He kept checking his phone, even though he knew there wasn’t going to be any new message.”
The way your character speaks affects their relatability. For example, natural dialogue with slight imperfections is more relatable than perfectly polished dialogue. This small detail makes it feel real and these moments build up to being relatable.
Let them make mistakes
Many beginning writers strive to make their main character perfect or way too unique, which is understandable. But often readers relate more to a character’s mistakes. Through error or mistake, a character’s personality is revealed and he or she creates believable conflict.
A likable character might say the wrong thing, trust the wrong person or not make a difficult decision. These moments make your reader think, “I understand why they did that.”
Give their own reason for their actions
Characters become flat when they exist only to advance the story. Instead make sure their choices are from who they are, their past, their beliefs, their fears, their values, their desires.
For example, if a character doesn’t want help ask why. Is it pride? Shame? Fear of dependence? A past betrayal?
When a character's actions have emotional reasons behind them, the character feels real.
Keep your character's behaviour consistent with who they are. Even if they change, such change should feel earned. Actions that come out of nowhere, make no sense and can destroy the reader’s trust.
Include everyday human moments
Not every moment needs to be dramatic to have a character that is relatable. It’s often little things that happen every day that make the strongest connection. A character saving old voice messages, masking disappointment with a joke or being awkward at a family dinner, these are the moments that seem real.
Let the character grow
Relatable characters don’t emotionally freeze in their place. They learn something, they face something, they admit to something, they change the way they see themselves. The growth can be big or small. Your character’s growth is what makes the readers feel that the journey was meaningful. Even if they don’t have complete success, emotional movement is what makes them feel alive.
Examples / Mini Tips
Here are two simple examples,
Example 1: The tried overachiever
Imagine a student on top grades every time. On the outside she appears to be confident and successful. But, on the inside, she is terrified of failure because of the belief that mistakes will cause people to love her less.
Why this works: This character is so relatable because so many people experience pressure, fear and the need for approval.
Example 2: The tough hero who can’t say sorry
Now imagine a warrior who is fearless in battle, but cannot apologise to his younger brother.
Why this works: Courage in one area does not eliminate weakness in another. That contradiction is human and relatable. Readers may not relate to fighting with swords, but they can relate to his pride, guilt, and family tension.
When developing your character, ask yourself: what part of this character's experience will feel real to readers?
Common Mistakes Made By Beginners
Here are a few mistakes that should be avoided,
- A perfect characters sound good, but they rarely seem real.
- A character does not need to be nice all the time, just understandable.
- A sad past doesn't automatically make a character relatable. What matters is how it affects them in the present.
- It’s not enough to just name the emotion, express it through actions, thoughts and behaviour.
- Plot is important, but readers connect most with what the character feels, fears, hopes for, and avoids.
Characters bring a story to life, especially during emotional moments. If you'd like to learn more, read our guides on creating emotional scenes unforgettable characters, and How to Start Writing a Book.
FAQ
Final Thoughts
Relatable characters are not created by making them perfect or by giving them overly dramatic or complex plots. They are characters readers connect with because of the way they express their emotions.
Give them real wants, honest flaws, familiar emotions, believable reactions. Keep it simple. Keep it true.
This is good news for beginner writers. You don't need to create a 'special' character. You just need to create an honest one. Readers will forget the plot, but they will remember how your character made them feel.
If your character is real to you, chances are he or she will be real to your reader too.
Writing can feel lonely sometimes. Why not join me on Patreon? I share a mix of both free and premium writing content there and I’d love to have you there!
