It’s
all about characters If
you ever thought about writing a novel, the first thing that you
must consider is how to cultivate your characters. I believe that
the development of your characters far outstrips the plot in order
of importance. If you plan on doing a series, your plots will vary
but the characters need to be constant.
To
be sure, the characters can experience growth through seasoning
but the persona remains intact.
Readers
like to identify with something or someone and it’s up to
the author to provide an avenue for that connection. That connection
doesn’t necessarily have to be realistic; it just needs to
be captivating. That undertone is the single most important factor
in the success of romance novels.
People
with faces score very high on the list. Characters need substance
and it means a lot if they’re likeable. I like it when somebody
tells me that they can picture a certain movie star in the role
of one of my characters. When I hear that, I know I’ve achieved
my goal.
A
name helps too. “Mike Hammer,” immediately conjures
up the vision of the consummate tough guy. John Smith takes me nowhere.
Be creative.
Your
character doesn’t have to be human either. Animals have had
quite a bit of notoriety over the years and they’re easier
to picture. When someone says Lassie or Rin-Tin-Tin it’s pretty
easy to pull up the image.
Sometimes
even a location can be a character. I can recall listening to Daniel
Keyes lamenting that when Cliff Robertson bought the movie rights
to “Flowers for Algernon,” he moved the locality from
Boston to New York. Daniel asked the question. “Can’t
he see that the city is a character?”
In
my series, I created a hideaway in a remote area of Michigan’s
upper peninsula where the terrain is every bit as rugged as Alaska.
My little deep forest sanctuary has definitely developed it’s
own personality.
As
always, these are simply my thoughts on the subject and I welcome
comments and questions.
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