More on character building

Hi readers,

Hope you have decided on your new years resolution before it’s time to put them into place. I have. I have decided that 2012 is the year I get my publishing contract along with getting married and moving into my own space with my partner. I also start my English course next Friday and I hope to do well in it too.

Right…. Time to address the process of building a character, as the better you know them the better you can write about them and their lives, their reactions and language.

This knowledge is deeper than name, date of birth etc… It is about their first love, their secrets, their fears, their past, every single little thing as the better you know them, the better you can write them.

Warning: only do this to major characters. Minor characters are nothing more than props and if they are not essential for the story then don’t give them a name, they don’t need it.

If you name a character you run the risk of getting attached. By all means the main characters are the ones which you should get attached to them and their lives regardless of genre.

If you write an in depth character profile then, please, ensure that it has no contradictions. I some times read a book and read the interactions of a character and then discover that they have issues with them and was left confused. A continuity issue, yes, but it may also be that the issue is something needed for the story and is decided upon later in the making of the book. I plan out all the major, must happen, events in the story and allow everything else to flow.

If you know your character well it makes them easier to writer and as a result easier to read.

Major characters: know them well.
Minor characters: the less we know the better.

Once I reword the character she I will put it on. Or I may put it on as is and quote where it came from if that makes sense.

Happy writing guys. Have fun on new years and check in soon. More treats are coming in the early part of new years.

Simone