Creating Characters

This week’s topic really made me think – because I wasn’t sure just how I do create characters!

I don’t analyse them beforehand, I simply put them into a situation and see what happens! As soon as the idea for a story begins to take shape in my mind, the main characters are also there. To start with, I don’t know much about them and sometimes I struggle to find their names. Soon, however, even when I’m still thinking about the story, they start to come alive for me. I can see them in my mind’s eye. Once I start writing, I can hear their voices, and I know what they’re thinking and feeling.

They are purely my own imagination but they become as real to me to any real-life people. I don’t base them on anyone I’ve actually seen although sometimes I can see someone on TV and think, ‘Yes, he’s how I imagine Paul’ or, as happened recently, I saw a girl singing a Lloyd Webber song, and immediately thought, ‘That’s Jess.’ She looked just like I had imagined Jess.

This happens with the minor characters just as much as with the hero and heroine. I can visualise them all and it’s as clear as if I was watching and hearing them in a movie.

Their characters evolve as I write. Half the time, I don’t actually think about it, it just happens, mainly because I become so immersed in their thoughts and feelings. I empathise with the heroine and fall in love with the hero. Sometimes they surprise me but I love those moments when they reveal something about themselves that I didn’t actually know beforehand!

By the end of the story, I can see how they have grown. Maybe they've learnt more about themselves and/or about each other, or understood why and how they had made mistakes and made an effort to put things right – the possibilities are endless and their growth depends very much on the story itself.

I am a total ‘pantser’ and write by instinct rather than by planning. I rely on my characters to take me through their story, and I enjoy the journey with them!

Creating Characters

I keep a folder of photos that i rip out of magaines. After I come up with a name for each character, I go through the folder to see who looks like a "MaKayla" or a "Bobby." It's just a gut feeling I go with to decide.

Once I know what my characters look like, I start writing. I create the character as I go along. During the first full run of the manuscript, I get my characters in a situation and then I have them react. After they react, then I come up with a reason for his/her reaction. What happened in their past to make them the way they are and why he/she reacted in such a way. Then I'll go back and add give my characters feelings during a reaction. It makes them come alive.

Once I have them perfect, then I have to give them flaws. Something that will go against the story. Example, one of my characters doesn't kiss in public. So I have my hero always showing her affection in public. So you can imagine, this heroine is uncomfortable whenever he does this, so during the story and in the end, I have to get the hero to break this uncomfortableness within the heroine. By the end, she's showing him affection in public.

Your characters need to show some kind of change from the beginning to the end. You may have a shy heroine working in an office who kisses the boss's ass because she's afraid of her, and doesn't like her. But by the end of the book, the boss may be getting the heroines coffee because the heroine broke out of her shell and told the boss where to go. See... character change!

Creating characters

I create heroines, heroes, confidants, and villains differently.

My first heroine started out as me in a different setting and predicament. I needed to spend time in the story with 'me-her' before she emerged as an independent character in the last chapter. For my time travel, I wrote symbiotically with my heroine; she acted and reacted as I would have under similar circumstances. For my romantic suspense WIP, my heroine is fully independent. She and I have similar interests, but her life is her own. I am along for her ride.

My heros are assemblages of leading men: tall and determined like Tom Selleck; strong and capable as Sean Connery. Way back when, I swooned over reformed bad boy Harrison Ford in Star Wars. I recently rewatched Jim Cavieziel in The Count of Monte Crisco. What a transformation from victim to aristocrat! He had good material to work with (and a big budget with lavish sets and costumes) but the way he evolved the character was inspiring. I recall words to a song by Judy Collins: the man was small and short, but left his women begging for more. I want a hero who will haunt my dreams long after 'The End.'

Confidants come in all shape and sizes. Even discorporate ones. I have to remember to not fall into stereotypes: The wise old teacher. The kindly aunt/neighbor. The wide-eyed savant child. The wind that whispers.

Villains are the most fun. They are ruthless and powerful. They can be beautiful or homely. They can dance or slink. Down to their rings, their wardrobe says it all. They are what they wear. They have allies and cohorts to do their bidding. They have unlimited resources yet crave something more. If human activity is predicated upon core, elemental desires: sex, power, money, then villians are easy.

The noble motivations: compassion, truth, justice, honor and love are qualities we revere, but writing them into believable, multi-dimensional characters is harder for me.

What a wonderful challenge.
Ana

Friday Friends with Pamela Britton

Welcome to Friday Friends with multi-published author PAMELA BRITTON.

HWH: Thanks so much for being with us, Pam. Can you tell us about THE WRANGLER and how you came up with the idea?

PB: I grew up reading horse stories and so I’ve always wanted to write a romance novel centered on my favorite animals. I show and own American Quarter Horses and so it was fun to use that knowledge in a book. I ride English, as does my heroine, and I live on a ranch and so I shamelessly stole on the funny lines I’ve heard over the years.

HWH: Are you a plotter or a panster?

PB: Much to my chagrin, I’m a panster. I really try to stick to my synopsis, but it never works out that way. Usually my editors don’t mind, but I recently got into trouble for deviating from my original outline. Oops!

HWH: LOL! Your stories range from sexy to sweet. What are your favorite books to write? Why?

PB: Sexy!! I’m a bad girl at heart because “sweet” books are so hard to write. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an editor tell me to “tone it down!” I’m really looking forward to my upcoming EXTREME RACING SERIES (being published by Samhain) because those will be hot, hot, hot and I. Can’t. Wait!

HWH: Your hot scenes are smoking. After you read a sexy book from Pam, you look forward to the next one, trust me! So I too will be looking forward to the new series. Here is a question for our viewer writers, Pam. As a writer, I struggled with the meaning of deep POV. While reading DANGEROUS CURVES, I totally “got it.” I always suggest this book to new writers struggling with the same thing. Understanding it and writing are two different things, of course. You do it SO well. Before you were published, what did you struggle with and how did you over come it?

PB: Aww, thank you SOOooo much. What a nice thing to say. And you’re going to laugh, but the thing I struggled with the most before I was published was, um, grammar! Yup. I sucked at the mechanics of writing. Obviously, I’ve learned a lot. In fact, I got a fan letter a few months back from a reader who said she enjoyed reading my books more than any other author because there were so few typos and grammatical errors in them. I tittered when I read that…if this reader had read my first manuscript she’d have fallen over dead.

HWH: I totally get that. I hear that many writers struggle with grammar (myself included). Maybe it has something to do with that old saying "If you don't use it, you lose it." So tell us, what have you learned being published that you wish you knew before you were published?

PB: Honestly, I wouldn’t have gotten so wrapped up on the whole Romance Writers of America thing. I sincerely respect RWA, and will be forever grateful to them for launching my career, but some of the stuff that goes on…ei yi yi! I swear there are people out there whose mission in life is to make their fellow authors feel bad about themselves. Or who only want to use you. Or secretly want to sabotage your career. Looking back at some of the stuff that went on, it’s kind of scary. Smartest thing I ever did was unplug from it all. Once I got to where I was going I took a look around and saw who my true friends were and disconnected from the rest.

I once asked a bestselling author who shall remain nameless (think household name) how she’d managed to hold onto her friendships over the years. She told me she lived on a very small island (figuratively) and that the island had gotten smaller over the years, but that a true friend will always, always have your back. That’s good advice no matter what you do in life.

HWH: Hmmm... something to think about. It's kind of sad if you think about it. It makes you lose faith/trust in people. Okay, let's get back to writing. What do you look for when revising your MS? Are there tips/secrets you can pass along to other writers?

PB: Revisions are actually easy for me. I think that’s because I’m not married to my work. By that I mean I don’t mind cutting out a chapter…or even ten chapters. If snipping pages will make my book tighter, I’ll do it. I’m also subscribe to the theory that an editor is always right. If they say the pacing is off, or that my conflict is weak, they’re probably right. And so I actually enjoy the process of diving in and fixing those problems.

HWH: Well, editors must love you - "A cooperative author is a working author." LOL.. hey, maybe editors could use that as their slogan!

Thanks for being with us today, Pam. We'd love to have you come back when your new series is released.

For our viewers, thanks so much for joining us. Pam will be here all day to answer questions or comments you may have. Be sure to check out her website at http://www.pamelabritton.com/ for her latest and past books. And don't forget to become a FOLLOWER of Heroines with Hearts!

Be sure to join us next week when our special guest will be author Margaret Blake.

Starting a new romance novel

I think every writer starts with a basic scenario, the idea for which may have come from one or more sources. We all have those ideas, gleaned from something we have read or heard.

One of my early novels, for example, started with heroine meeting hero when he becomes Deputy Head at the school where she is a teacher (not that I ever fancied any of the Deputy Heads at the schools where I taught). She’s attracted to him (of course!) and there’s definitely some chemistry between them, but he seems to be fighting it. Why?

Why indeed? Think of a reason. Is she too young for him? Not a strong enough reason. Doesn’t agree with his ideas? Possible but pretty boring. Has he been badly hurt in the past? Maybe, but that’s too conventional. So what if the heroine is the spitting image of the girlfriend/fiancee who ditched him, maybe who had had an affair with his best friend? Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.

The stage is set. But just where is it set? Have to decide now whether it’s a big city, small town or country village. Originally the above story was set in a seaside town on the south coast of England. Later, as the story progressed, I realised that it needed to be nearer Dover because I wanted them to take the ferry across to France, so I moved them lock, stock and barrel to a different location. That wouldn’t have worked with another of my novels, where the setting (in the English Lake District) was an essential part of the story. I have to confess that I’m happiest when I’m writing about places that I actually know. I once went to Galway in Ireland simply to see and get the feel of the place so as to be able to write about it with more confidence.

Next - what about the characters? The heroine – dark haired, brown or blonde? The hero? Has to be good-looking of course but dark or fair? Somehow the characters take shape in my mind as I think about the storyline. Not just their looks, but their characters too. In the end, I can hear their voices, and see the way they smile and their mannerisms, even the way they walk. They seem to evolve naturally as they become more real to me. I don’t characterise in advance, I rely on the characters to develop themselves.

I know that they’re going to get together in the end (it’s a romance, it has to have a happy ending), but now let’s see what inner feelings and external events will conspire to keep them apart. The journey begins…

By the way, the blurb to the novel I used as my example (created by the publisher, not by me) was:
Anne Marshall was looking forward to continuing her studies in Paris. Then Max Lorimer arrived at Southgate High School, and suddenly the dream seemed unimportant. But he was the Deputy Head and she was only a junior teacher, so he was never likely to take any interest in her. Besides, there was Helen, the girl he should have married. Why then did there seem to be this strange affinity between them? And why did Max seem to be fighting it?

The Beginning of a Romance Novel

For me a novel starts as an idea. For example, the one I'm playing around with in my head came about when a postcard arrived in the mail with a face of a missing child posted at the bottom.

An idea was born. Now what? I have the first chapter written but not set in stone. The hero and the heroine are introduced. Now, I have to think about the entire story before I can go on. I try to see the main plot points as movie clips. I don't write anything down because if the "movie clips" work, I'll remember it. That's when I start my research. The best part of writing as far as I'm concerned. I know how I want the beginning of the story to be, but if the research falls flat, then I have to rethink a new beginning

I like to have a subject in my story that deals with real life that folks can relate to, and/or that will teach the reader something new. I want my readers to feel the way I did after I read: BLAME IT ON CHOCOLATE by Jennifer Greene. I learned so much about chocolate after reading that book I still remember the author and the title!

So, back to my story. Now that I have this idea, where do I go next? Most of the time, while doing the research about one thing, something else peaks my interest and I think.. Hmmm...I can add that and then it becomes a snowball effect.

How to Start a Romance

Normally, I'd say start a romance with a gorgeous, rich, single man with a private jet and a villa in Monte Carlo. But for the next several weeks, we mean How We Start Writing a Romance.

I start with concepts drawn from my life. For example, I prefer homeopathic medicines over allopathic drugs. Concept: Parents of a 23-year old woman clash when she and her mother choose a naturopath to treat a lump in her breast. (True story. A year later, she was pronounced cancer free.)

This isn't very romantic, so I start playing with it. A medical doctor arrives in a small, rural, northern town for his first post-residency job. A local woman makes herbal remedies--tinctures, salves, teas--that many townspeople swear by. Doctor and herbalist meet and clash. Still, they are attracted to each other. As they are trying to get past their differences, an antagonist takes advantage of an external crisis and drives a wedge between the lovers.

I have now an idea for my setting, as well as some rudimentary information about my hero, heroine, and antagonist. My next step is to think up names. The bad guy's name should conjure an image of a nasty, selfish, greedy person. I'd have to write hard to make Fred Smith sound like a dashing doctor. My herbalist heroine can pick the name of a wildflower used for tea.

While my names are steeping, I think about the characters main qualities and their backstory. Did he work his way through college? Was she an only child? Who taught her about plants?

When I have developed somewhat her background, I pick her Sun sign. I know her place of birth--small, rural, northern city. I pick a birth date, and guess at a birth time. Then I test possible horoscopes. Interestingly, it never takes too many attempts to generate a usable chart from which I get a detailed personality profile. (Repeat for hero and antagonist.)

By now, hopefully, my names are brewed. I have backstory on my main characters. Now it's time to plot.

Ana