Creating Characters: A Five Part Series

Photopin: M Harrsch

I am starting a  5 part series dedicated to Characters and what we love about them.  I hope to offer some assistance to writers who are devoting time to the mechanics of their writing.  Think about the last book or story you read. What made that character memorable to you? As an aspiring historical fiction novelist and avid reader of the genre, the writing of the character is what differentiates a world I can become absorbed in versus a plain historical textbook.  

I completed NaNoWriMo in 2011 with no guide other than the few wonderful blogs I follow and of course Larry Brooks and his awe inspiring website,  StoryFix.com.  Larry’s website and a supportive NaNo  group kept me going through that long November.   After reading the unstructured mess that had spilled into the writing program I endeavored to master, I knew I clearly had more work to do to ever come close to producing a cohesive story which a reader could enjoy.  My verbal stories have followed me for several years and along the way were pleas from friends of “You must write this story. I really want to know what happens to these people!” For these patient friends, I am determined to tell the stories of a civil war soldier, a depression era waitress and a forlorn prince in a foreign country. Three different books, three very different characters and I am determined to convey each one onto paper.

The reference books I will be using for this series are:

Writing the Breakout Novel by  Donald Maas

Growing Great Characters from The Ground up by Martha Engber

Characters, Emotons and Viewpoints by Nancy Kress

The Dramatic Writer’s Companion by Will Dunne

Crafting Unforgettable Charafters by K.M. Weiland (sign up for her newsletter and get this nifty booklet for FREE)

and of course, the great seven part series by Larry Brooks.  I can’t wait to introduce you, the faithful blog reader to not only my characters, but those of some of my favorite writers.

Tell me, dear writers and readers, who is your favorite character and name the traits that endeared them to you!