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Aids to Character Development
I know a lot of authors use character charts and questions to plot out their characters. I use them as a start. They’re great for physical characteristics, family information and background. Other people use enneagrams, astrology, tarot cards or maybe a mixture of both to develop and flesh out their characters and develop conflict. Tami Cowden has a great book The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes for developing your characters and developing conflict.I have used Enneagrams before. If you don’t know your type, you can take a free enneagram test here. https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/testThere are nine types and you can develop the characteristics in each of your characters to create conflict in their styles.Astrology, or the use of the thirteen zodiac signs can also be a fun way to develop conflict in their characters and their goals. Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Ophiuchus (Nov 29 – Dec 17) and Sagittarius. Ophiuchus is a new one. Who knew? The constellation Ophiuchus represents a man wrestling a serpent, dividing the snake’s body in two parts. It is the only sign of the zodiac linked to real men, sharing traits with Imhotep, a 27th century BCE Egyptian doctor, and biblical Joseph. Like Imhotep, Ophiuchus is considered a healer of men and a doctor of medicine or science. He seeks higher education and enlightenment. He is expected to achieve a high position in life. Like Joseph, he is an interpreter of dreams and vivid premonitions. He is...
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Love Horses? Check out Kimberly Beckett and Her Latest
Ever since she can remember, Kimberly Beckett has loved horses. She wore out 4 rocking horses before she was 5 years old, and as she got older, she read every horse story in print, from Black Beauty to My Friend Flicka. It wasn't until she got her first job as an attorney for the federal government, however, that could afford to buy her first horse, and she hasn't been without at least one ever since. She has been riding dressage for several years and has earned her United States Dressage Federation Bronze Medal. When she wasn't reading about horses, she was reading romance novels, and her favorites always involve an alpha male Hero riding a magnificent horse. Kimberly has now found a way to combine her love of horses with her love of romance by writing her own version of equine-facilitated happily ever afters. She truly believes that Horses Heal Hearts. She lives in southwest Ohio with her two adopted greyhounds, and two warmblood horses.Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why?Kimberly: I write contemporary romance with some suspense elements. I like contemporary because I like telling stories that women of today can relate to.Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer? Kimberly: I was influenced primarily by New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes, whom I met when she sponsored a writer’s retreat to Scotland back int 2016. She made me feel like my dream to become an author...
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Back to the Basics – Show Don’t Tell
Show, don't tell is a technique that fiction writers learn when they start writing. I can’t remember how long ago I heard it or where. And over the years you still hear it in workshops and writing articles. It’s one of the foundations of writing. Many of us struggle with the difference and when I get edited there’s often still a comment about “not telling.”You don’t use an adjective, summarize or describe the event. You pull the reader into your story with action words, thought, senses and feelings. The concept has been attributed to Anton Chekov. Apparently, he wrote to his brother and said, "In descriptions of Nature one must seize on small details, grouping them so that when the reader closes his eyes, he gets a picture. For instance, you’ll have a moonlit night if you write that on the mill dam a piece of glass from a broken bottle glittered like a bright little star, and that the black shadow of a dog or a wolf rolled past like a ball." Focus on actions and reactions, use strong verbs, not adverbs or adjectives, and play to the readers senses to draw them into the story and feel the characters emotions and the setting. If your character is tall, don’t say – He was tall. (Tell) Say something like he ducked under the doorway when he entered the room. (Show)Anger can be show by describing the character slamming his fist, raising his voice or the color of his face reddening.Here’s...
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Claire Gem and her New Release Civil Hearts
Claire Gem is an award winning-author of supernatural suspense, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction. She also writes Author Resource guide books and presents seminars on writing craft and marketing. Her supernatural suspense, Hearts Unloched, won the 2016 New York Book Festival, and was a finalist in the 2017 RONE Awards.Claire loves exploring the paranormal and holds a certificate in Parapsychology from Duke University’s Rhine Research Center. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Lesley University. A New York native, Claire now lives in Massachusetts with her husband of 40 years. When she’s not writing, she works for Tufts University in the field of scientific research. She is available for seminars and media interviews and loves to travel for book promotional events. Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why?Claire: My favorite genre to write is supernatural romantic suspense, i.e., romances with ghost stories. I’m fascinated with the paranormal, and have a strange affinity for old buildings and graveyards. All of my books thus far have been influenced by a place I’ve visited or read about. Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer? Claire: That’s easy. Seventh grade English, many moons ago, I had a teacher named Nancy Prather. She was a tiny sprite of a woman with the energy of a sparrow and the aggressiveness of a hawk. She taught me the basics of structure—beginning, middle, and end of a piece, and how...
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Creating a Rough Road to a HEA with Kelli Wilkins
Hi Everyone,My name is Kelli Wilkins and I’m a romance writer who loves torturing my characters. Why? So I can get them back together for a happily-ever-after (HEA) ending! Let’s face it, romance readers know they are going to get a HEA before they pick up a book. The hero or heroine isn’t going to die—unless you’re reading a paranormal and someone turns into a vampire, and even then, it just makes the story more interesting! People read romances for different reasons: for great storylines, to live vicariously through the characters they care about, and to know that whatever obstacles these lovers face, they’ll overcome them together. I write stories based around characters who find each other, fall deeply in love, and live happily ever after—but not without going through some emotional ups and downs. Although my characters love each other, everything isn’t always roses and sunshine. As they work through their challenges, they have to learn a few lessons about themselves, trust, honesty, or whatever their personal internal struggles are. For example, Sherrie and Curtis, in my contemporary romance, Trust with Hearts, have to work through painful issues in their pasts before they can open up and learn to trust again. In my historical fantasy, A Most Intriguing Temptation, Elara and Dalton learn important lessons about temptation and fidelity. And in my gay romance, A Secret Match, Everett struggles to come to terms with his sexuality and be open about who he really is. These...
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Monthly Themes in Your Writing
March has arrived and in most parts of the North American continent it came in like a lion. One hope it will leave like a lamb. March is the month of St. Patrick’s Day and the Ides of March. It’s also Nutrition month and I wrote a little on that on my website (https://www.beverleybateman.com) , Women’s History month and the first day of spring is this month.Do you use themes in your writing? Do you like reading when the story touches on a monthly theme? They could be used as setting or maybe part of a plot. There are many monthly themes. The most common of course is December with Christmas, Christmas Eve, Hanukah, and New Year’s Eve. February has Valentine’s Day, April, and sometimes March, has Easter, June first day of summer, July 4th (or 1st in Canada) September has Labor Day October Halloween (and Thanksgiving in Canada) and in November the American Thanksgiving. I’ve used Christmas. It’s always good in a romance and/or family setting. New Year’s Eve can be a great time in a plot for meeting someone, or maybe starting new. And Valentine’s Day – I don’t think I need to say anything there. I’ve used a few of the themes, not a lot, but I’m thinking it might be fun to use more in my writing, particularly as part of the plot. And I do enjoy the Christmas themes and Valentine’s for romance plots.I’d love to hear if you use themes in your writing or...
