When other people talking about relating to characters or seeing themselves in characters, I really struggle to think of characters I felt that for as a kid. I don't feel like that's how I read. The closest I've got it Just William because we had a similar roaming childhood...
...so I want to know - do you read to relate? Do you see yourself in characters? If so, which? If not...how do you experience reading?
When I read, I feel like it's less about relating to characters and more being caught up in a play of people moving around through space. I'm on the adventure, solving the mystery. It's more like an RPG where I'm the dm (albeit a passive one). I'm not a character, but an observer
But when I write, I DO become the characters to an extent. It's an act of channelling.
Not sure where I'm going with this, just musing really, and curious to know how you read...and if you write, do you write in a similar way to how you read when it comes to character and relatability?
I'm obviously coming from a place of privilege where I had the option of relating to characters - plenty of white children (and adults) in books I was reading. I wonder if I would have craved relatability more if I had been denied the option?