Monday, February 6, 2012

Diary of an Author - Day 18

Enjoyed being a Mom this weekend...packed full of family fun! Now it's time to get back another kind of fun...being an author.

Now that my book has been on the market for just over a month, I've been lucky to receive quite a bit of reader-feedback; I get a kick out of hearing what reader gets attached to what character. This makes me happy because I worked very hard at creating many interesting characters. A Kiss for Emily has four main characters, three minor characters, plus another four mini characters, and a few tid-bit characters. And! they all bring something to the pages.

Here is my advise for character development:
Avoid writing about yourself unless you are making a memoir or bio. 
Every character is important! Every character serves a purpose. Every character needs a personality and that personality makes the action play out as it should. Therefore, after you know who is going to be in your book, spend a few days identifying them...everything from their childhood, favorite food, place of origin, good at, bad at, hopes, fears, pant size, etc.
Don't make someone with greasy hair "just because." Make sure the greasy hair is essential to the person your are creating.
Once this list is complied, don't feel obligated to include it all in your book. It just helps making your people more life-like. 

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