Anyway, the letter this week is C for…
CHARACTERS
When I start a book, I have a germ of an idea and then I begin building the characters. I like to get to know them. What are they like? What or who has influenced them? How do they feel about things? What do they look like? What quirks do they have? You get the idea.
I see them very clearly in my mind. Sometimes I can find a picture that closely resembles them. Here’s one that’s pretty close to what I picture my heroine in my WWII story:
I think she’s so pretty. The nose is a little different, but that’s about all.
Other times I can’t find a picture. That’s like my current heroine. Then her image needs to reside in my brain.
In my current WIP (work in progress), I have a very, very quirky secondary character. She’s a ton of fun – a little irreverent, doesn’t care what people think about her, tough as nails. But then you see a little of her past and understand something of why she is who she is. She’s the comic relief in this book. Can’t wait for you to meet her š
Yes, I admit it, I’ve called my children by my character’s names. It happens. They answer to just about anything. It’s one of the pitfalls of having an author for a mother LOL!
Creating characters is one of the best parts of writing. I’m excited to meet the characters in the new WIP I’ll be starting in the next couple of weeks. What kinds of characters do you like to see in books? Who are some of your favorites?
To read more C blogs, visit Patty’s website.
Love this! I also love it when a character surprises me. On one of my WIP’s I was about 2/3 of the way through the first draft when the male MC finally told me that he was NOT the brown haired and eyed character I had described. He had the blond / blue combination. No wonder I could never find a picture that resembled him. Once he told me that I found the perfect photo of him within a short time!
I liked Lilly Margolis in “Lilies in Moonlight” by Allison Pittman, Emma Malloy in “A Heart Revealed” by Julie Lessman, and Alice in “Wonderland Creek” by Lynn Austin, c2011 reads. Lilly and Alice were quirky and Emma overcame huge obstacles to heal and trust. ~*~ So these gals had heart, soul and a splash of sass!
lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net
I love the idea of having pictures to represent characters. Thank goodness for the Internet, which has made finding pictures much easier!
It often intrigued me on how writers get so obsessed with their characters. Now I have an understanding since I took up photography and “see” photo ops every where I go!
I love the photo!
And yeah, I’ve called my cats by my characters names.