JL Angela, thank you for inviting me to share this post on characterization, a subject near and dear to me. So far, I have written 18 books for adult and young readers, with six as yet unpublished. That’s a lot of characters. Where did they come from? Frankly, they popped inside my brain, and then I had my way with them.
Before I wrote fiction, I was a newspaper reporter then an editor. That meant I had to listen carefully to what people said and observe how they behaved. It was an experience I believe has paid off with authentic characters in my Isabel Long Mystery Series — Following the Lead, no. 6 was released late last year — and The Sacred Dog, both published by darkstroke books. They are set in rural New England, where I live.
Basically, I sit at my laptop and the story reveals itself. That includes my characters. In my mystery series, Isabel encounters people who may be sources, persons of interest, and even suspects. To create a well-rounded character, I consider: their appearance; how they talk; their line of work; and how they interact with people.
Take Annette Waters aka the Tough Cookie in the Isabel Long Mystery Series. If somebody dared to give her a hard time, she’d dish it back twice as hard. But then again, she runs a garage and junkyard.
I like all of my characters even the so-called bad ones, like Al. I wanted to portray the homelife — raised by an abusive drunk of a grandfather and his doting but scratchy grandmother — that created the man he is. Life has not been fair for him.
The mysteries are written in a first-person present-tense narrative. Isabel is a mature woman who is a bit of a wise ass. Now a widow and out of a job as newspaper editor, she’s reinventing herself as a P.I. solving cold cases. I will admit there is a lot of me in Isabel although I am not a widow and I never worked as a P.I. But it is rather easy for me to figure out what Isabel will do, whether it’s looking for clues, pouring beer at the Rooster Bar, being with its owner Jack or dealing with family, including her mother, Maria, her partner in solving crime.
Of course, Isabel isn’t the only character in this series. Many have lingered through more than one book and in several instances stayed through the series. I am currently writing the seventh in the series, so I have to maintain each one’s personality, channeling that character so I know how they will react to any situation I throw at them. Others are one and done, only serving a purpose for the plot.
Sometimes people who know me like to guess who a character really is. Nice try, but none of what I write is true. This is fiction.
AW And I can't think of any form of employment that is better than creating fiction! Thanks Joan.
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