I’ve mentioned this before: a portion of your story’s scenes need to rise, to explode, to provide surprises the reader never saw coming. In these pull-out-the-stops scenes your characters  can fumble, make mistakes, stage confrontations, discover dead bodies or that their beloved is sleeping around. Feature them stooping to new lows or achieving new highs.

Give your characters actions to regrets and  why-did-I-open-my-big-mouth remorse.Give them triumphs, but make sure they’re hard earned. Emphasis on the degree of difficulty.  That’s what causes sympathy and empathy, not playing by the rules. Not keeping quiet.

 If you’re not willing to maim and cripple your characters, you’re not ready to write fiction. 

keep writing, keep dreaming, have heart