1. Irina Samarskaya

    Irina Samarskaya Senior Member

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    What Does "Relatable" Mean?

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by Irina Samarskaya, Sep 21, 2018.

    And I mean that literally, since I haven't found a good answer.

    The closest I've been able to come up with is almost literal: how much someone's character, circumstances, and/or abilities compare with someone else's. Like a female brunette who is a waitress would find a female brunette who is a waitress far more relatable than a male blond who is a prince in Persia.

    If relatability is so important, then why are fantasy, sci fi, war, vampire, etc. stories so popular when much of it is either highly improbable, highly unlikely to relate to even 0.1% of the Earth's population, or both?

    So far the best I can understand is that a character in unusual circumstances with unusual abilities that isn't even from a real place can be made relatable by having to deal with common problems or common joys (or common addictions). Like if the male, blond, and Persian prince had his heartbroken by a woman--and the waitress had her heart broken by a man--that common thread makes him relatable to her even though he's otherwise as different from her as can be (from the outside at least--I purposely kept it simple, as plausibly they could have similar or oppositional personalities, beliefs, and mindsets).

    To repeat my question in full: what does relatable mean and how is someone made relatable?
     
  2. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    Relatable just means you know or can understand where someone is coming from. It doesn't really matter the genre because at some point in every story there is an aspect of the human condition, and that is quite relatable for most of us.
     
  3. Irina Samarskaya

    Irina Samarskaya Senior Member

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    If that's the case then isn't it a matter of empathy? In which case I'd assume my job is to establish a certain behavioral consistency so that the reader can understand a given character. If that makes sense.

    I'm confused about relatability because most fictional characters are (in an outwardly sense) unrelatable. However they can have relatable moments, situations, and personalities. Like a prince, for example, how would he be relatable since most people are not princes nor know any personally?
     
  4. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    But the prince may have a mother, father, siblings, teachers, responsibilities, frustrations...

    I definitely don’t see how most fictional characters are unrelatable.
     
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  5. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    Characters don’t have to be relatable. Most of them are, there not all of them. Good examples: Humbert Humbert in Lolita, of for fantasy there is Ballas in Ian Graham’s book Monument.
     
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  6. Irina Samarskaya

    Irina Samarskaya Senior Member

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    Yeah, I was thinking that. "Relatable" is a tricky word because I've heard of different meanings for it. In terms of "common ground" (like experiences, struggles, joys, perks, quirks, etc.) then just about anybody from any situation could be relatable with some characterization. Plus what's relatable for someone may not be for another; and vice versa. Like maybe Real Person A doesn't have any siblings, so Prince having princely siblings isn't relatable (however it may still be interesting because Real Person A may be interested in what having siblings is like) while Real Person B might have siblings and can directly relate, compare, and contrast.

    I guess the ultimate answer is "it depends" and "individuals have different tastes".
     
  7. Ashley Watters

    Ashley Watters Member

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    A reader will find a character relatable when the author shows what makes that person do what they do. I suggest writers build characters who say and do things for reasons not just because it moves the story along. You don't always have to tell readers the reason but it has to be consistent with their actions. You don't need to have all characters relatable. These characters are usually minor players. You do have to decide who is relatable and how does that help you tell the story.
     
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  8. Irina Samarskaya

    Irina Samarskaya Senior Member

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    That's also true. Somebody who is very alien can be interesting just because of that. Like the Creeper Humber Humbert could make an interesting protagonist because most people are not pedophiles; Tywin Lannister makes for an interesting antagonist because most people are not lordly generals nor Machiavellian politicians (however, his poor relationships are relatable for those who have bad relationships--although not as relatable as Jaime and Cersei because more people can relate to having a bad father than being a bad father).

    So far I'm thinking I may be overthinking it since if a character is deep and multifaceted then there will be parts some people will like and parts other people won't like as well as parts that are either "neutral" or "intriguing".
     
  9. Irina Samarskaya

    Irina Samarskaya Senior Member

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    Yes, that makes sense. Basically characters have to be human (or consistent, to put it another way) and relatable is just one way to boost affection for a character as well as invest the reader. Not necessarily the only way but it could be decisive if the character is the Main and that character is lacking outside of being relatable (like in more realistic or slice-of-life stories, whereas in political, martial, fantastical, etc. stories a character could compensate by being uniquely dispositioned but consistently so, by being unusually intelligent, unusually funny, having a strange but interesting moral code, etc.).

    And I think most deep characters will have a mix of relatability, unique/exoticness, likability (sometimes that which is alien can be liked just because it is so), interest (like a smart politician, crafty general, or honorable but bone-headed warrior) and all of these things have varying levels of interest depending on the individual.

    I might have already known the answer but wasn't able to connect it to a more literal definition of "relatable". Or I was/am overthinking it.
     
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  10. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    You don't have to be just like a character to relate to them. I don't think things like if someone is a prince or has siblings matter too much. We have all as children had to fight in some way to get our parents attention even if it wasn't competing with siblings. We might not all be princes, but we know what it like to be liked or not liked, known for something we did or did not want to be known for, perhaps. Relatable is not tricky. Most people can find some common ground with most people. We can understand where someone is coming from even if we have not been in the same situation. We've all been scared. We have all tried to accomplish things. We have all failed. We have all succeeded. We have all had loss. We have all had love. These things are part of the human condition, and most stories touch base on some aspect of the human condition. I think we want our characters to be relatable. The reliability aspect of a character helps readers invest in them and the story. And liking a character and having a character who is relatable don't have to be the same thing.

    When I was in grad school I wrote a story about war. My MC was a cold-hard killer. My classmates and professor mentioned my character was not very relatable. He was too cold, too mean. Where was his human side? The side we can relate to? Well, it wasn't in this story and I wasn't sure how to make him relatable while still keeping the story together. One thing that helped me was when my professor said, "Give him a puppy." I didn't have to literally give him a puppy, but something like that was needed. If he loved his puppy, cared for and played with this puppy, we would see a different side of him. Not everyone has a puppy or a dog, but we've all seen how cute and playful a puppy can be, how loyal and loving a puppy can be. Something like this can make a character relatable even if in many ways we haven't been in a character's situation or done such awful things like many of our characters probably do. So, if my character had something like a puppy, I would be giving readers something tangible to relate to. I do see it as a problem if a character is unreliable to readers. And if that's the case, well, give your character a puppy and it may very well change things.
     
  11. DeeDee

    DeeDee Contributor Contributor

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    You're mixing up "relatable" and "likeable". A relatable character is one the reader can understand. We can understand lust, or love, and those are very well described in "Lolita", so we can relate to the character even if we don't approve of what he does.
     
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  12. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    1. Like Ashley wisely said: author shows what makes that person do what they do. And then...

    2. ...they do it.

    You show what kind of motivational base that character has. [Now your reader knows your character.] Then you show how your character uses that motivational base to things that have some meaning to your reader. [Now can identify himself in your character.]

    In other words:

    1. You can see your mental picture in a character...

    2. ...and in that characters action.
     
  13. Bone2pick

    Bone2pick Conspicuously Conventional Contributor

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    Are you certain identifying oneself in a character is necessary for investment? I don't identify with anything in Doctor Hannibal Lecter yet I'm very fond of him as a character.
     
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  14. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    No. I am not certain.

    Intelligence?
    Sharp observation skills?
    Calm dude?

    When identification goes through the base of motivation, it goes through the base, not necessary through targets, means...

    The base is what is under and behind - and that is very human even when actions are not.

    And... negative identification is also identification. You see yourself when you see what you are not and what you would not do.

    Identification works both including and excluding.
     
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  15. Bone2pick

    Bone2pick Conspicuously Conventional Contributor

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    Maybe, but I'm skeptical. If one can identify with what they are and what they are not, then what is an unidentifiable character?
     
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  16. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    - Vague.
    - Implausible.
    - One-dimensional...
     
  17. Bone2pick

    Bone2pick Conspicuously Conventional Contributor

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    Do you think it's possible for a character to not suffer any of those "unidentifiable" faults and still be unworthy/incapable of investment?

    Edit: It sounds like unidentifiable and underdeveloped are virtually the same issue in your opinion.
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2018
  18. Irina Samarskaya

    Irina Samarskaya Senior Member

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    In contrast I think it's possible for somebody with those descriptors to be relatable (based on commonality). A vague person could be vague enough so that a reader might "self-insert" or otherwise ascribe characteristics that aren't there; or simply try to connect the dots with that characters, thus forming a personality that might not have been there.

    Implausible is tougher, but I suspect even implausible characters (like Genghis Khan IRL) could be relatable through their struggles (like even Genghis Khan had to overcome abject poverty, slavery, and early marital issues).

    One dimensional may be tougher or easier depending on the dimension. Like anybody who has ever been angry could identify with the Angry Guy's frustration with, say, waiting in lines; dealing with idiots (at least relative to whatever "You" are smart in); dealing with other angry/irate people; etc.

    I'm not saying these are good characters, just that it's possible for them to be relatable. Although I think Implausible is the best mold to work with of these three since implausible can be very interesting (as many of history's greatest heroes, villains, and trolls were strange and exotic characters).
     
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  19. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    Lance White on The Rockford Files. He was perfect, flawless, adored by everyone--except, he was fairly incompetent, and Rockford kept having to fix the issues he created. His motives were maddeningly pure and selfless. I think that too-good characters are harder to identify with than too-evil. (Yes, I realize this leads us to the Mary Sue question.)
     
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  20. Bone2pick

    Bone2pick Conspicuously Conventional Contributor

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    I'm a Superman and Captain America fan though... :oops:
     
  21. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    They're at least competent, though, right?

    Though I never was a big fan of the purely good superheroes. I like some darkness. Un-whiny darkness.
     
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  22. Bone2pick

    Bone2pick Conspicuously Conventional Contributor

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    Beyond competent, they are mighty. I appreciate darker and less principled heroes as well, but I do love the superheroic boy scouts and girl scouts.
     
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  23. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    1. I don't understand that question.

    If a character is "unworthy of investment" you develop it. You make your characters so you make them worthy of investing your time and energy so much that they are worth time, attention and money of readers.

    It is only good thing if your character is unworthy in the beginning. Then you make his life so difficult that facing obstacles forces him to develop some and more and...

    2. There are similarities.

    3. And these are opinions, not hard core facts.
     
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  24. Irina Samarskaya

    Irina Samarskaya Senior Member

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    I generally prefer their real-life equivalents as I find them more inspiring (because they're real). Like the Korean equivalent to Superman could be Admiral Yi Sunsin who selflessly repelled the Japanese invaders in the "Entry Into China (1595-ish to 1598) Wars". Yi Sunsin won every battle he ever stepped foot into and generally did so under enormous pressure from not just the Japanese (who often outnumbered and outgunned him) but also his own government (which regularly suspected Yi of treachery, plotting to usurp the Kingdom, or even defecting to Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the Chancellor of Japan). Yi Sunsin would be almost single-handedly responsible for destroying Japan's naval capacity and thus winning the war (as the Japanese consistently beat the Koreans on land, and only struggled with the Great Ming's numerous reinforcements). In spite of this, Yi Sunsin was shot and killed during his greatest and final battle (a fact which was hidden until the Japanese fled Korea) and while his government continued to belittle and shame him, the Korean people remembered Yi as a hero and to this day he is championed as the greatest admiral of all time (rivaled only be Horatio Nelson who defeated the French under Napoleon).

    I much prefer guys like Yi Sunsin over Superman because they're not only heroic, but real. And so their paths become far more plausible to walk (at least in part).
     
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  25. Bone2pick

    Bone2pick Conspicuously Conventional Contributor

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    I understand that, hence why I included "in your opinion." I hope my questions haven't made you feel under attack. If so, I apologize; I genuinely enjoy exploring storytelling theory.

    Develop or correct? For instance, in your opinion, could a fully developed character ever be unworthy of investment?
     

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