Have you ever read a book, a short story, or watched a movie/TV show and have finished it thinking: "Wow, that was incredible"? For some it's because there was action - explosions and machine gun fire and Vin Diesel crashing his Dodge Charger into a building. Others are in it for romance scenes ranging from awkward smiles to graphic sex (thanks for that, E. L. James) or simply half-naked Chris Evans. Some folks just want a happy ending - Claire Standish giving John Bender her earring gets us every time. For me it's a mix of all these things that can make a story great - (Lord knows I could use some more Chris Evans in my life), and the underlying factor of each element is the characters. Does the Battle of Manhattan mean anything to us if we aren't shipping Percebeth so hard it hurts and praying that they both make it? Are we sobbing and screaming and cursing Veronica Roth's heart-breaking yet brilliantly poetic ending as hard if we haven't gone through this entire freaking journey with Tris? Don't read this and assume I'm some brilliant creator of characters -- I'm not. But I know that the reason I've read Princess Bride 10 times, seen every episode of Firefly 4 times, spent an ungodly amount of time fangirling about Percy Jackson is because I am utterly in love with the characters. They make us laugh hysterically, cry, scream, swoon, and throw things because they remind us of us. THAT'S what I want to do - make people care about a character. And if I succeed just once, I'll be so happy you'll think I've robbed the Louvre.

- Sasha Smoke