Creating a Page-Turner, Part Two
Characters

You must create likable characters, or at least someone the reader can tell why they're like they are if you're to write an interesting novel. It's better if they're realistic and have depth and complexities. But it's also important to be consistent. If they change their habits, appearance, or reactions, the reader needs to understand why. It's not enough to tell yourself people in real life behave erratically, because fiction has to also be believable. 

Your main characters need to have clear goals. Ask yourself what drives them, what do they really want, and build your story from that. It's also good to have at least one secondary character that's memorable. For me, it's often the character that quips one-liners or the main character's confidant or adviser.

In addition, consider the number of characters you're going to introduce. You don't want the reader needing to stop to figure out who someone is as I did in a recent book. Even if the book is part of a series, you'll want to give a sentence to remind the reader who the character is when the person walks into the first scene. However, give the background information and histories woven into the story and not as standalone narratives.

And finally, it's good to have the main character(s) change by the end of the story. They need to have learned some important lessons and changed for the better. That's always more satisfying to the reader. Give them a reason to pick up your next book, and the best reason is they couldn't put this one down.

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