Developing Characters by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor ##MFRWAuthor #writing #characters #development

 

Janet Lane Walters is visiting and talking about characters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #characters #heroes #heroines #villains

 . Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write?

My favorites to write are the villains. I think this is because I want my villains to be on the wrong sideof life but not too far. I rather like those villains who with different events in their lives could be heroes.

 

3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

Since I usuallyuse astrology to create my characters. I hit my books on the subject and look at the Sun, Moon and Rising signs and toss together bitsd from both. Naming my characters is as much a part of creating a character as their physical, emotional and nature are. Theyalways com after I have the idea for a book. The idea is always first when I write.

 

4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

Heroines are created the same as heros. They also come after the idea and the plot.

 

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

Love villains. Sometimes they aren't really bad butsomethign they stand inopposition to the hero or heroine in a story. Giving themsomething that makes them seem good helps set them up. My favorite villain loves his mother, and is helpful to others. Unfortunately some of his good traits become obsessive.

 

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

My latest release is Iced Tea and other short stories. The characters are a mixture of people rather than singletons.

 

7. What are you working on now?

I'm currently working on Keltoi a romantasy and the sixth book of a series. Have no idea what i'll do with it when done. an researching the start of a new mystery series. The Horror Writer's Demise.

9. Who are your favorite authors?

There are probably too many to mention. I am a reader with 2000 plus books in my Kindle library, not to mention the books that surround me in almost every room of my house.

 

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Banned Names by J. S. Marlo

 

 

Seasoned Hearts

"Love & Sacrifice #1"

is now available  

click here 

 

 

  

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

There are lots of parts in a novel. The setting, the plot, the twists & turns, and let's not forget the characters. The author wants the readers to love them, hate them, cry for them, cheer for them... The last thing an author wants is for the readers not to feel or care about the characters at all.

Bad and/or good, characters need to be three-dimensional, but they also need a name that fits them. Once a reader sent me a message about a book I wrote. She told me she hated it, so I asked what exactly she didn't like about the story. She said the story was awesome, the plot kept her up at night, and she loved the characters, but she hated my hero's last name because she couldn't pronounce it. So it wasn't the book she hated, it was my hero's name, which prompted her to leave a 3-star review without any explanation.

I guess you can never please everyone. My hero's name is still the same, I happen to like it, but I do spend lots of time looking for the right names, which brings me to today's topic. Banned names.

Many countries don't allow parents to give names that are embarrassing, misleading, controversial, offensive, obscene, or unreasonably long to their child. Some have rules about the letters/numbers/symbols allowed or not allowed, and some force the parents to choose from a pre-approved list. And some countries ban certain names.

In the United States, among the names that are not allowed, you'll find: King, Queen, Jesus Christ, III, Santa Claus, Majesty, Messiah, Misteri Nigger, @, 1069.

In Iceland and Denmark, parents must choose from a pre-approved list or seek special  approval.

In New Zealand, these are some the names that were rejected by the registration office: King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Duke, Royal, Empress, Messiah, Saint, General, Major, Justice.

In Sweden, there's no Elvis, Metallica, Veranda, Superman, or IKEA. Well... there are IKEA stores, many of them, but no IKEA baby.

In Germany, you can't name your child Adolf Hitler.

In Mexico, among the many forbidden names, you'll find: James Bond, Harry Potter, Hermione, Robocop, Lady Di, Rocky.

In Malaysia, children can't be named after colours, flowers, animals, or food.

In France, these are among the names that were rejected by the registration office: Nutella, Mini Cooper, Fraise (it translates to Strawberry), Joyeux (it translates to Happy).

Bottomline: Before giving your character an unusual name, make sure it is allowed in the country from where that character hails.

Happy Reading & Stay Safe.

J. S.

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Like Catching Up With Old Friends by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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When I wrote Erin's Children, the sequel to Kelegeen, I really enjoyed revisiting the characters I'd spent so much time with. It felt like catching up with old friends. I met new friends, as well, as I introduced new characters in a new setting. As authors, we spend so much time with our characters both when we are and when we aren't actually writing that they become part of our lives. They live in our heads, tell us their secrets, dreams, ambitions, faults, and desires. We know the most personal things about each of them. When a novel is finished and sent off for publication it can be like saying goodbye to people to whom we've grown very close. So writing a sequel or continuing on in a series is a kind of reunion.

My current work in progress (The Folklorist - expected release date: October 1, 2023) is a stand alone. However, once that is finished, I plan to dive right into writing the second book in the Cat Tales series. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with Smokey, Autumn Amelia, and all the other animals in Wild Whisker Ridge and Faunaburg. There will be some surprises as Smokey and Autumn find out that there is more to their family than they knew. There will also be a wedding, but I'm not saying who's it is yet. I just know it will be loads of fun to write the next set of adventures for a group of characters who can't help but make me grin from ear to ear while I'm doing it.

At the same time, I will start the research for the book that will follow Erin's Children. I plan to focus on the next generation. Meg, Rory, Kathleen, and Nuala will still be there, and it will be wonderful to reconnect with them, but I'm also excited about finding out what their kids are doing with their lives. I'm also looking forward to learning more about the history of Worcester, Massachusetts (the city where I work and closest to where I live and where Erin's Children is set) and incorporating some of it into the story. 

I also have an idea for a fantasy that I plan to work on in between these two projects (could someone create a few more hours in the days, please?!) so I'll be meeting and getting to know all new characters and a whole new world. This is also very exciting. New friends are great, too! 

I hope my readers will enjoy catching up with the old friends and meeting new ones as much as I enjoy writing them.

                                                                           

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Building a story—Tricia McGill.

Find information on all my books here on my BWL Author page

It never ceases to surprise and amaze me, how my characters take over and make the decision over what will happen next. As sometimes happens, I get a short way into my story and realise one day that I am not happy where it is going, and even consider scrapping it and starting afresh. This unfortunate happening occurred to me a couple of weeks ago. I usually wake up one morning bright and early with at least a skeleton of an idea where to take my characters next, but sadly this was not to be this time. Everyday problems in our life crop up sometimes and annoyingly intrude on our ability to think straight.

Thank goodness for those characters buzzing around in our heads, not so much nagging us where to take them next but hinting that we at least need to give them the chance to get cracking. The moment I sat here at my computer and began typing everything took off, seemingly of its own accord and what happened in front of me next was that events that I had not even considered adding unfolded there before me on the screen.

I have always credited my Muse with assisting me in my writing as I am the first to admit that I am no Jane Austin or Emily Bronte, but simply a writer who likes telling stories. So now I have to wait and see where I will be taken next by this bunch of characters I created. 

Tricia McGill's Books

The End of the Story...by Sheila Claydon

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Writing a book is a mix of things: a hard slog, moments of elation, moments of recognition even, and of course a lot of staring at a blank screen. A writer's mood can swing from depression to excitement from one sentence to the next. And then, when the last i is dotted and the last t is crossed, there is the editing. The acknowledgement that the section in chapter ten that seemed just right, no longer works. Nor does the timeline in chapter twelve. What has been missed out? What has been forgotten?

Once all that has been rectified to the writer's satisfaction, and all names and dates checked and double checked (yes, I did accidentally change the name of the heroine for a couple of chapters in one book, which would not have been a good look if the mistake had gone to print!) then it is the turn of the publishing editor, who will inevitably find a whole lot of other things that need attention.

While all that is going on there are a couple of other things that is very important indeed. The title. The cover image and the blurb (the short description that will hopefully persuade a browsing reader to buy the book).

This can be both the best and worst of times. The blurb cannot be too long but nor must it leave out the kernel of the story. The cover image must fit with the most up-to-date publishing style while at the same time show what the story is about, and finally the title. This can be the most tricky thing of all. Does the writer use the name of one of the characters, as I did in the first two books of the Mapleby Memories series, or is it better to find another link within the story.

It took me quite a while to find a title for my latest book (due out in April) and in the end it wasn't really me who found it, but my teenage granddaughter! She was staying with me for a few days and we were discussing her English homework and, because she naturally has a very quirky way of looking at things, she was explaining to me how once, when she was given a topic to write about, with a title, she was almost at the end before she realised she hadn't tied it to the title at all. What did she do? She wrote a final paragraph cramming everything in and, believe it or not, got good marks!

I didn't do that of course but it really made me think. Was there something that had featured throughout the book that could be used in the title? I re-read the whole thing and realised that there was. The moon!  Because the story stretches across the centuries the events that took place were observed by many a moon. I had the title. Many a Moon not only trips off the tongue, it is quite a memorable phrase and, when I re-read the story I realised I had indeed used a moonlit image quite frequently. Admittedly I did copy my granddaughter a tiny bit by inserting a couple of extra moons, but only two, and then the book was complete.

In April readers will be able to discover what the moon saw. Until then I have one final edit and then Many a Moon: Mapleby Memories Book 3, the final book of the trilogy will be published, with a cover, a blurb and a title I really like. I hope readers do too. 

This is Fiction! by Priscilla Brown

 

 

 

Gina is lover shopping, 

but is a New Year's Eve party the right store for her? 

https://books2read.com/Class-Act

  

When our  readers start a book, we authors are asking them to 'suspend disbelief' (also to suspend doing the ironing, looking for a missing sock etc. etc.)  

An author of contemporary romance fiction, my imagination works to create stories involving narratives of a situation, event or circumstance which could happen, or could have happened, in real life. I like to introduce credible characters into environments plausible to their personalities, individual histories, lifestyles and physical backgrounds. 

 

 Although not my usual field, some years ago I entered  a contest for historical short stories to be published in an anthology. I was already familiar with the physical setting on a Scottish island, but not the time frame during World War II. My story concerned a young woman on the island ferry who feels sorry for a young man wearing an army uniform unsuitable for the freezing weather, clearly a soldier on leave exploring the islands. She invites him to her cottage for a warm drink...Of the three judges in this context, two who were writers gave it high marks, while the third, a non-writer, marked it fail, giving the reason as a query 'Would she really ask a stranger into her house?' Maybe this judge was applying present-day mores to a 1940s wartime situation, unable, or choosing not, to consider it as a complete fiction appropriate to the time and place. Although perhaps the story did fail as it could not convince this judge. However, it did win a place in the anthology.

 

May 2022 be kind to you, with lots of great stories to read and enjoy.

Best wishes, Priscilla 

 

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Joined up writing...by Sheila Claydon

Click here for my BWL page

In my last post I wrote about finding a story, and about the trigger that prompts my imagination sufficiently to write a book. It can be a picture in a magazine, or a holiday, or an article in a local newspaper for example. I also talked about my next book, due out in June 2022 which, while it still doesn't have a title, is the final story in my Mapleby Memories trilogy, and how this is proving more problematic because, whatever the trigger, it has to tie in with the first two books Remembering Rose and Loving Ellen. 

And that is the reason I have a collection of triggers on the back burner. Ideas and pictures that I save until the right story comes along, which in this case is a 600 year old water mill that I chanced upon hidden in woodland. If you have read either of the Mapleby books you will know that they are a mixture of romance, fantasy and history, so a very old mill seemed just the ticket. And when I started this was very definitely the case. The first couple of chapters came easily, as did the main characters, and I was very quickly able to introduce them to some of the characters from the earlier books. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, I was stuck.

I had the back story, the characters and the geography, and I knew how I wanted the story to develop, but I couldn't make it work. Because it was summer and because there was plenty of time before publication I stepped back for several weeks, hoping all would become clear when I started writing again. It didn't! So what to do?

Slowly a possible solution dawned. Instead of writing as I usually do, from the beginning of the book to the end, I was going to have to separate the plot into character led sections, write each one separately, and wait for the right time to join them up.

So right now I have Sophie, the main protagonist, in 3 separate places in 3 different time zones, interacting with 3 different groups of people, and somehow I have to make sense of all of it. Confusing? Maybe, but it has unblocked the writing process. The 'Sophie in the immediate past' section I'm working on at the moment is flowing easily, and because I am typing it up in red I won't confuse it with the 'Sophie in the here and now' section which is in black, or the 'Sophie in the distant past' section which is in blue.

Also I think the joining up process will be interesting and as I always like a challenge, satisfying, when it eventually works. I do think the book will require a bit more editing than usual though and I still have to find a way to link Sophie to the long ago people who worked in the mill. I can 'see' them and 'hear' them but to go back 600 years requires an enormous leap in culture, geography and social mores. Fortunately I have found some really interesting history about old water mills. For example, in medieval times in the UK many water mills belonged to the Lord of the Manor who hired a miller to operate it for him, and he also insisted that all his tenants used his mill and no other! I just know I'm going to enjoy finding out more, so watch this space.

Book Series by J. S. Marlo

 

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

I just finished reading an historical fiction book set in Nova Scotia during WW2. I really enjoyed it, but not once while reading it did it occur to me that it was part of a series. It wasn’t until I reviewed it on Goodreads that I realised it was the second book of the series. The title of another book she wrote was printed on the cover, but nothing indicated that other book was in fact the first of the series.

There was no series name or number on the book cover, so I started searching to see if there were written or unwritten "rules" on how to set up a series. I didn't  find any rules, which I thought wasn't a bad thing since it meant I was breaking any elusive rules, but I discovered that series were classified by types.

 

These are the three most popular types of series: Dynamic, Static, or Anthology Series.

 

Dynamic Series:

A dynamic series follows the same characters as the main story carries out through the series. The characters grow as the series progress. The series should be seen as one whole story, not distinct installments in the characters’ life. These individual books are not standalones and need to be read in order for the story to make sense.

 

Static Series:

A static series follows the same characters, but these characters don’t develop in any major ways over time. Each book features a different story, and these individual books are standalone and can usually be read in any order.

 

Anthology Series:

An anthology series do not follow the same characters for every book of the series. The series are tied by a world, a setting, or character relationship. These individual books are standalone, and while some series can be read in any order, other series may need to be read order to avoid spoilers.

 

 

While I was writing my first novel Salvaged, I wasn’t thinking about series. My goal was to finish it, then not get lost in the overwhelming and scary world of synopsis, query letters, and publishers. It wasn’t until I finished my second novel Unraveled that the word “series” struck me. By then, I had found a publisher and Salvaged was tiptoeing into the published world, so I had started looking farther into my publishing goals. The truth is, I became very attached to the characters in Unraveled. Since I wasn’t ready to let them go, I turned the book into a series.

So far, I have written twelve novels. Eleven are published and the twelfth "The Red Quilt" is scheduled for release this coming December. Out of the dozen, only two are not part of a series. The other ten novels are part of four different series...but what kind of series?

 

In my Duty Bound Series, the main character in each new book is a minor character from the previous book, but few other characters from the previous book make it in the next one. Each book takes place a few years after the previous one, the recurring characters evolve, but it introduces new plots and new characters. There are some dynamic & static elements in them, the books are standalones, but reading them out of order gives spoilers about the previous books. So, to my great surprise, it looks like an anthology series. I'm not sure why, but I would never have associated the term 'anthology' to my series until now.

 

My Heart & Endurance Series is a bit different.  The first two books start with different characters and intrigue, but at one point in the second book, characters from the first book begin filtering through. The main characters in the first two books become minor characters in the third book whose storyline revolves around two new main characters. Each book takes place a year or two after the previous one, the recurring characters evolve, but there is a minor loose end that isn’t resolved until the third book. As much as I would have liked to tie that loose end in the first book, it realistically takes years for justice to render a verdict, so while that verdict didn’t come as a surprise, it only became official in the last book. While these three books can be read as standalone, they should be read in order to avoid spoliers. Again, this series looks like an anthology series, even though there are

dynamic & static elements.

 

My Unraveling the Past Series is definitely an anthology series. Brand-new characters in every book. Different settings. Different years. Different means of time-travel. Standalone stories. No continuity. The theme of the stories is what ties them together. In each book, the main character travels back in time and tries to right the wrongs of the past. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have numbered that series.

 

My Fifteen Shades Series will probably resemble my Duty Bound Series in the sense that one of the minor characters in the first book will become the main character in the second book. More about the first new book of that series The Red Quilt next month. I'm finishing my edits, but I received its book cover. It’s gorgeous! I can’t wait to share it with everyone.

 

Happy Reading & Stay Safe

JS

More info about book series, visit Ignite your ink

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

 

The Play's the Thing...

 

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When writing my novels I often lean for help on my time in educational, community, and just-for-fun theatrical productions. 

Why? STRUCTURE!

When involved in theater, either before or behind the footlights, either acting or directing or stage managing or providing costumes or lighting...I got to hear the play sliced diced, taken apart, tinkered and experimented with, then put back together and performed, with high hopes, towards the delight of audiences. It this process the structure comes through!

Choose the best, you'll be living with it for awhile!

Some of what I learned: 

1. If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage!  Translated: if I'm going to spend all this time with a project, it had better be well written! So I've always tried to find good theater or movie projects to give my time to. For my books: SAME...anything less than striving for excellence is not worth my time.

2. Plays are about PEOPLE, just like novels. In my first draft, I am also creating a cast list, a dramatis personae in theater. Who's who? Are they all necessary to tell my story? Do two perform the same function and so can be combined, or one of them eliminated? Are they of various ages, genders, backgrounds to help my story have multiple perspective and generations?

3. Plays are composed of SCENES. So are books. I find it more helpful to look at my manuscript as scenes, rather than chapters, then dissect...do I have too many scenes in the same room or place? Do I mix up daytime and nighttime locations? Does each scene have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and a consistent point of view? Will each scene leave the reader satisfied and/or wanting more?

scenes: leave 'em hanging, when necessary!

Choosing Characters by Priscilla Brown

 

Mayor Anna agonises over the parlous finances of both her alpaca stud and her country town.

 Is this sexy television producer financial salvation or major trouble?

https://books2read.com/Sealing-the-Deal

 

Several characters in my contemporary romantic fiction choose themselves. Sealing the Deal developed from a farmer sitting on a gate watching her alpaca stud; for Hot Ticket, I had noticed a woman looking in the window of a lingerie shop;  the ferry hand who managed to get me and my rental car aboard his tiny boat without a scratch won a place in Dancing the Reel.

As an author, I need to know my characters well, and ensure they and their actions are appropriately motivated and credible; my familiarity with them increases as the story progresses. I don't plot in advance, thus offering them a lot of freedom to change or augment their personalities, backgrounds, mindsets, actions. But they must always have a narrative purpose - the rationale behind their existences, earning their keep so to speak. Every character has strengths and weaknesses, which, among other ramifications, determine how this person will respond to obstacles and to the behaviour of others; basically to move the story along.

I often find this character development a challenge - for example, I may like a certain individual, but will the reader be sympathetic to her/him?  And when I introduce a villain into the story, will the reader judge this character as such, and, as I intend, worry about the connection with the main characters? In my romance stories, the 'villain' is frequently the person keeping the hero and heroine apart.

Although I do not plot at the start, I always need to keep my characters under control. It may sound crazy to a non-writer, but our fictitious people do take on a life of their own. I have to stop them from wandering into idiosyncrasies and behaviours that do not fit with my overall idea of their place. A couple of stories ago, one of my chosen secondary characters wandered out of the story and into one where he was more important, so choosing him like that for the length of a novel was not going to work. He's waiting for a story of his own.

Ultimately, by the time I have finished the drafts, I must be sure I have chosen the characters suitably, and that the tone, the mood, which I  impose on them are relevant both to what they have by now turned into a plot and to the genre; the whole narrative should coalesce into a pleasurable read. 

Enjoy your reading, best wishes, Priscilla

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https://priscillabrownauthor.com

 

 

 

Darcy—Matthew or Colin? Tricia McGill

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I have recently viewed the 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice once again and of course could not avoid comparing the portrayal of Darcy as done by Matthew Macfadyen with Colin Firth’s version in the 1995 TV series. Much as I like Matthew as an actor, Colin will always remain my favourite and favourite to many others it seems. To me Matthew’s portrayal was much too severe for my liking, even though we all know that was how he was meant to play it, he came across as just plain bad tempered to me. There were many times when I wanted to shake a smile out of him. We all know that Darcy and Jane had their many differences and it is most likely that my annoyance with Matthew came from knowing of course that he would come round in the end and succumb to the wit and charm of Elizabeth, splendidly portrayed by Keira Knightly in this version. But even then he didn’t seem too enchanted to me. 

I have to admit that from all the characters, my favourite will always be Mr. Bennett, portrayed in this version by Donald Sutherland. His humorous patience with his twittering wife whose abiding aim in life is to marry her daughters off to wealthy gentlemen and his witty comments on all that is going on around him in that hectic household are outstanding. Above all, despite his seeming detachment, his love for his daughters shines through and steals the show. How times have changed. Although there are many differences between 1830 and now, there will always be mothers who are set on finding the best partners for their daughters. And always mothers who are disappointed with the choices made.

Another of my favourite characters is Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte who does not view life through tinted lenses. Realistically she sees that she is never likely to win the affections of a handsome gent who will sweep her off her feet for she is no beauty, although not plain, and knows that she will have to be satisfied with second best. To Elizabeth’s dismay, she accepts that a marriage with the pompous and idiotic Mr. Collins will bring her a house that she can call her own. It is a blessing that she does find contentment in this house. But isn’t this so true to life even these days when many are forced to accept second best matches. 

I wonder what Jane would think of her book being played out in so many different ways on the screen. Most authors desire to see their work made into a movie or TV series, I know I do, and are forever disappointed. Perhaps she is up yonder somewhere enjoying the fame. I do hope so. 

Tricia McGill Web Page