Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Who Is He or She? From Idea to Finished Book

There is much to know about your characters.  For me, the first thing is the name. Now I've had characters announce their name as I'm thinking about the story. Other characters are shy and refuse to disclose their name. That's when I set off on a search of one of the ten or so baby name books I've had on my shelf for ages. I look at name after name and continue to search until I discover a name that will fit.

In my latest WIP, the heroine and the hero announced their names.  Hers is Suzanna, not Suzanne, she informed me. And the name seemed to fit the little I knew about her. He told me he was Caleb. Such an old-fashioned name, I thought. Twice I tried to change the name but as I was writing, Caleb inserted itself into the story. So Caleb he is and has remained.

Another thing one needs to know about the age of the character. I've read books where very adult ladies don't really fit the characters they are meant to be. I once read a story about a second chance for love and the heroine was in her fifties but she sounded and acted like a twenty-something. So the age has to fit the character.

Age figured in one of my stories. My heroine was in her mid to late thirties. The hero was thirty. So there was a discrepancy in their ages, but this was needed for the story. So consider the character's age when you're telling their story and make sure they act their age.

Not only must they act their age but their name must suit their age. I know we all have friends called Bunny who are in their fifties or sixties but unless there's a real reason that fits the story, this doesn't work.

So have fun naming and aging your characters and I'll see what more I can find to give you about characters next week.

My Places:

http://bookswelove.net/authors/walters-janet-lane-romance-fantasy-suspense-medical/
at

No comments:

Post a Comment