Creating Character Empathy
Two weeks to go in this Kickstarter campaign and I want to spend more time talking about craft. Did you download that Romance Roadmap workbook I created that details the five key scenes in a romance novel? If not, the link is in the comments. I want to take a deep dive into each stop on the map. Let’s start at the beginning with Empathy, Story Questions and Novices.
No matter how your story begins—whether it’s a prologue, flashback, or jumping straight into the action—your primary goal is to make readers care about your main character. Empathy is the key to drawing them in, and there are three surefire ways to establish it early on:
1. Showcase Extraordinary Qualities
Give your protagonist an extraordinary trait or skill that sets them apart. Think Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer—a seemingly ordinary high school girl who happens to be a supernaturally gifted vampire slayer. Or Sherlock Holmes, whose razor-sharp intellect allows him to solve crimes others can’t even fathom. Extraordinary qualities make readers admire your character and root for them to succeed.
2. Place Them in an Extraordinary World
Even if your protagonist isn’t extraordinary themselves, the world around them can be. Readers empathize with characters who are navigating unique, challenging, or bizarre circumstances.
Take Mark Watney in The Martian: stranded alone on Mars, he has to figure out how to survive and communicate with Earth. Or consider the quirky, small-town world of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, where Lorelai and Rory navigate the eccentricities of their neighbors. By placing your character in an extraordinary world, you invite readers to see how they’ll adapt and thrive, creating instant engagement.
3. Make Them Save the Cat (Metaphorically)
The term Save the Cat refers to a moment when a character does something kind, selfless, or brave—something that makes us root for them. This doesn’t have to be literal; it’s about showing that your protagonist has a core of goodness that readers can connect with.
In the pilot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy befriends Willow, a shy outcast. By rejecting the popular Cordelia and choosing to support Willow, Buffy sacrifices her own social standing. This moment cements Buffy as a heroine we can admire—not just because of her vampire-slaying abilities but because of her compassion and judgment.
Saving the Cat moments create instant empathy and make readers eager to follow your character’s journey.
Why Not Do All Three?
For maximum impact, why not combine all three strategies?
Give your protagonist extraordinary qualities.
Place them in an extraordinary world.
And make sure they have a Save the Cat moment that reveals their true character.
When you hit all three, you create a layered, dynamic introduction that hooks readers and makes them care about your character from the start.
Creating Empathy is the number one thing we do in my Page Turner Pacing method. You get a sneak peak in the Romance Roadmap, but we talk more about this in the course.