Thankfully a friend suggested I try FFnP where I immediately
joined and hit the crit group up for help. A few years later I had written two
paranormal books and secured a lifelong friendship and critiqueship with the
amazing Rebecca Zanetti.
As I’ve grown as a writer and a reader I’ve learned
something else, it’s damn hard to create characters in a world where we see and
read about so many unique and fascinating characters. It’s challenging to create
new worlds, spins, and points of views on ideas.
For me the creation
of my characters take more time than creating my world or species within my
paranormal books. Usually this is because I start with what I want my
characters to be like, what drives them and once I know that I figure out why
this drives them. Most of the time the why is what determines what they are.
One thing I have found useful in creating new memorable
characters that will stand out in a sea of fantastic characters is to give them
real world humor, events, and problems along with the apocalyptic disaster
surrounding their species or world.
For example, I live in southern Alabama in a very rural
area. Once in awhile I will drive into Mobile, Al to go shopping. About a week
ago I needed to go get some new shoes and headed to town. I drive a gas hogging
Tahoe so I had to stop to get gas in down town. Well, as I stuck the nozzle
into the gas tank a man walked around the corner of my truck and asked me for
my phone number. I resisted the urge to
give him the death stare and instead explained I wasn’t interested and thanked
him anyway before he tried to sell me a Lakers shirt for $10 that would make me
look super smokin hot according to him.
As he peddled off on his womans bicycle still holding onto the Lakers
shirt, I wondered about what kind of character he’d make in a book.
I instantly saw him as the lust driven but never laid side
kick to my newest hero. You know, super annoying because everything he does is
about sex that he never has, yet in the end he’s funny and useful. Or maybe
he’ll be an undercover cop or PI following my heroine for an evil wolf looking
for a new mate. You just never know, but can you see how the real life
situation opened up so many character traits and even plots? While it’s always
great to create something new and special and completely different from
everyday life you still want to have a character us poor humans can relate too.
Those are the types of characters I
remember.
So go forth, watch the people around you, ease drop on
conversations while waiting at the doctor’s office or in the line somewhere,
you never know when a real life situation or person will strike a memorable
character for you.
Thanks everyone,
Sayde Gracehttp://saydegrace.com/
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