“I will go to my grave in a state of abject endless fascination that we all have the capacity to become emotionally involved with a personality that doesn’t exist.” (Berkeley Breathed)
As a writer I have become emotionally involved with many characters that only came into existence because I imagined them and set them down on a story trail. As I chase after them, I sometimes only see to the next turn and can’t wait to find out what my people may or may not do when they round the story curve and face whatever challenges await them. To make them believable, I must know my story people like family. Perhaps even better than family. Only then will I be able to share their life adventures.
I start out coloring in some basics about each character’s appearance. Eye color. Hair color. How tall. What age. Oh, and the right name. It has to fit the person, the setting, and the era. Those facts are necessary, but just as important are what my people dream and want and whether they will overcome the difficulties that stand in the way of those objectives. I must know them so well I can imagine their response to all kinds of situations from something as trivial as not having their favorite tea for breakfast to something far from trivial like a friend’s betrayal or a loved one’s death.
Since most of my books are historical fiction, I try to keep my people true to their era in not only how they dress and their occupations, but also how they think. What is acceptable thinking now might be far from acceptable in the past.
I’m in the process of figuring out my characters for my work in progress. It’s been a slow go with various interruptions. But there are always interruptions. Sometimes with my story people seeming reluctant to step on stage and get into the spirit of the story, I might even look for interruptions. Writing a new story isn’t always easy. Well, maybe never easy. In the process of populating one of my stories, I have to try to keep all my characters dancing around in my head. That’s not only my viewpoint characters but also my secondary characters and even those with walk-on appearances in the story.
It’s always a bonus when the cover design for one of my stories gets the character just the way I imagined him or her. Mira on the cover of The Song of Sourwood Mountain that I just shared with you on Sunday’s post is very much as I imagined her. I have been happy with all my book covers, but a few characters that I thought were absolutely perfect were Lorena and Kate on the cover of Angel Sister and Gabrielle on The Outsider. When I first saw those covers, it was as if the art department people had lifted my characters right out of my story and took their pictures. Then, Adriane in Words Spoken True had a perfect hat and Louisville background.
I want my characters to not only look great on the book cover, but to leap off the page through my words and become real in the reader’s mind. I hope that readers like you will not only “see” my story people but care about them as well. I want you to wonder about what happens to them after the last page in the book.
That’s what I want from the books I read for pleasure–to become emotionally involved with the characters and live the story. Great characters make reading and writing fiction fun.
If you’ve read any of my stories, who is one of my characters who came to life for you?
Comments 18
I really enjoyed reading about Francine Howard in These Healing Hills. She was a great character.
Author
That’s a nice choice, Connie. Francine had to have a lot of courage to go be a midwife in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian Mountains.
I can honestly say your characters are so well developed that they all seem real. Blessings
Author
Thank you so much, Lucy. I’m glad you’ve gotten to know many of my characters. 🙂
Ann I have read at least 24 of your books and have loved everyone of them; characters from the books have come to life and I have felt as if I knew them by the time I finished the books. It is hard to pick out my favorite; I will say Josie because it was this series that I read first and fell in love with your books! I can’t wait to meet Mira!
Author
I had so much fun writing the Hollyhill stories with Jocie as a super characters who had a way of keeping things interesting, Pamela. And ten there was that Jupiter talk to bring a few smiles.
I’m smiling because you’ve read so many of my stories. I appreciate that so much and I’m glad Jocie help you discover my books.
Lorena Birdsong (Angel Sister) is an all time favorite. Nadine (Kate’s mother) is an enduring character. She faced so many challenges and showed strength that only God have given her.
Author
Lorena Birdsong was a super fun character to bring to life in my Rosey Corner stories, Debra. You’re right about Nadine being a character that sticks in a story. I did love writing those Rosey Corner stories and I appreciate you reading them, Debra.
Fran & Ben from These Healing Hills”
Author
I especially liked Ben and being able to include his family in my story, These Healing Hills. I had to love little Sadie and talkative Woody. I’m glad you liked these characters too, Lisa.
Oh my goodness, I can honestly say that I can not pick one. I have read at least 16 of your books and have the rest on my wish list. There is not one that I did not like and too many excellent books to chose any one or any specific character. Thank you for the enjoyment you bring to me with your books.
Author
I would have a hard time picking one character that I have enjoyed bringing to life in a story too, Ann. They are all so different and have their appeal in separate ways. I loved writing about Lorena as a little girl and then being able to write from the perspective of young, five year old Adria. Or was she six? Whatever age, I like getting in a kid’s head to let them tell a little of my story. I did that in The Refuge, one of my Shaker novels, too when I let Leatrice have a few chapters in her viewpoint.
Perdita Sweet…And Fern…I love the side characters.
Author
I love those side characters too, Lisa, although I think Perdita had a strong place in Along a Storied Trail as a viewpoint character. So not sure how to the side she was. I’m pretty sure she’d tell you she didn’t have take a side place from anybody. LOL.
Fern was a great character too. She came to life a little more with each book and had a great impact on the Rosey Corner stories.
I also loved writing about Granny Em in These Healing Hills.
I loved Jocie in the Holly Hill books because I imagined her town exactly like the one I grew up in. We had a lot of other things in common too….the love of reading, bike riding, and much more! But the character that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go was Adria in River To Redemption. Her story still tugs at my heart. I’m still hoping that someday we’ll get to read more about her.
In the meantime I’m eagerly waiting to read about Mira and her adventures and then the next mountain story! Happy writing Ann. 🙂
Author
It’s fun that you saw yourself in Jocie as a small town girl, Lavon. I happily gave her a love of reading and writing to make me think of how I did the same at her age.
Adria sort of surprises me as a choice, but she is a great character. I loved bringing her to life as a little girl.
Angel Sister was one of your first books that I read, and I kept seeing the little girl on the cover as what Lorena would look like. Sometimes covers don’t match the characters inside the books but I think your covers have done a good job of either matching the characters or letting the faces be up to the readers by not showing actual faces on the covers.
Author
A lot of my covers do show the backs of the characters and that does leave it up to the readers’ imaginations to bring up a face, Hope. That is why the faces aren’t always shown on covers. Many covers right now don’t have people at all, but have the title in interesting or unusual font. Of course my Hidden Springs mysteries featured cats instead of people. I especially like the cover of Murder Comes by Mail in that series. I think that’s because I like how the cat’s eyes and the background match so well.
I agree about the cover picture of Lorena on Angel Sister being perfect.