Tag Archives: characters

“Recasting” Characters

Admit it, as a writer you sometimes picture people (actors, musician, models, the guy who works at Starbucks) as characters in your work. They aren’t the exact some people, just a player to picture, someone to fill the role of the person. No one will ever know who it is (unless you tell them), and your readers are going to come up with someone else entirely.

But knowing who you’ve casted, do you ever repeat your physical muses? The thought crossed my mind when I was watching a show where I could sit and point to actors that appeared in the creator’s other works. Almost never as the same character (unless it was a cross over or a cameo), but to me they’re still, say, “Mer’s Dad’s”, “Rick’s ex-wife”, “The guy that shot everyone.”

I also had trouble separating the mental casting of Tom from Unscripted Transformations and a character in a yet to be published novel. It drives me nuts that the characters kept crossing over, even though I described him to look different. I think that’s one reason I skipped over it and edited my fifth piece instead.

So could you ever reuse a physical muse, or would you be unable to separate the characters you created.

Favorite “Children”

My only child with my favorite "child"

My only child with my favorite “child”

Every single parent says they don’t have a favorite child. Maybe this is true, as I only have one little cutie, but I know as a writer I do have a favorite “child” of sort.

Whether you consider your entire novel or just your characters as your brain children, you know you have a favorite. Just like you have a favorite book as a reader. I know I do. I’ve never been afraid to admit it either. I have no issues saying An Altered Ending is still my favorite piece, and considering that I have quite the stack of finished pieces (most which will never see the light of day/the internet) that’s saying something. It’s still the one I’m most proud of, that gets me giddy happy, and that I can reread and not feel slightly bored because I know the story so well I can recite it in my head. Oddly enough, the playlist for this brain child is not my favorite, and is actually comprised of some of my least favorite songs and artists. But, hey, what ever gets the juices flowing.

And, admittedly, if I had to say only my characters could be my favorite children, it would still win. Why? Simon. After writing How We Began and getting much more in his head than I had while writing him the first time around, I like him even more. Though Mister Eddie Lansky is a close second. Why none of my female characters? They are the narrators and all important player in these tales, so why don’t I have them as a favorite? Well, they’re seconds. They’re up there, but I think it’s because I’m a woman creating fantastic men that I tend to favor their male counterparts.

So what about you? Do you have a favorite “child”?

Repeat People

Do you reuse characters? I’m not talking in a series, I mean do you take a character you used in a story and place them again in one that’s totally unrelated?

I attempted to do that in Unscripted Transformations, but wound up having it be a sort of sequel to Heart Pulled to Pieces. In a first draft for a story that has yet to be published (I’m still working out the kinks) I brought in a pair from An Altered Ending,  though since they don’t relate to the story I’ll probably hack them later on. But now I have an idea for a new tale, and I’m thinking of bringing in one of my characters that I love but who didn’t last long in the story they were in.

You see, I believe if a character is awesome they should have their story told. You know, if they haven’t already. Or maybe, like in Eddie’s case, the story that’s yet to be told. I’m also a big fan of when other authors do it. One that brings characters from their other books into their stories quite often is Emily Giffin, and it’s always a treat for me to read who she’s brought in from her other books. Maybe some people get annoyed by this, or think it’s cheating. Maybe it is, but who cares. I like the connection, the six degrees of separation that is so true to real life that doing it in story telling seems to make the world real.

What do you think? Do you love or hate seeing characters from previous books appear (either as major roles or supporting) in an authors other works?

Saying Goodbye to characters

Parting is always such sweet sorrow, especially when it’s with characters you love. Last week I released How We Began, a story that (in reality) was in the making for 3 years. Being the prequel to An Altered Ending meant that I worked with characters I already knew and were fond of, and though I didn’t start to write the story until late 2011, the possibility of working with them again had been around since I finished writing AAE back in 2010. I guess I just figured that if these characters were still lingering in the back of my mind then they weren’t finished.

Well, now their story has come full circle, and while there is still a big space in between one tale and another I can’t honestly say I think it would make a good story to say what happened. Still, as I sit here writing this post, listening to some of my favorite songs from the playlists of both novels I realize how much I’m going to miss these characters. Could they make a cameo in another book? Maybe, it’s a possibility, but it’s not as fun as diving into their lives. Do I know what comes next for them? Yes, except (again) it wouldn’t make a good story.

I’m sure this is the same feeling most writers get. It’s like saying farewell to a good friend who, though you’ll be keeping in touch with, won’t have nearly the contact you once did.

So, fellow writers, is this the case for you? Or perhaps you’re a reader who feels this way after finishing a book?

Name calling: Repeat names in a fictional world

I once came across some article (or plotting device, I’m not sure) that stated I should get rid of any similar names among my characters. Strange, eh? Especially when, if you want a story to sound authentic, you’re bound to have some anomalies, right?

What got me thinking about this was my re-write project. I’ve tried not to have the same names run through my work as I go, for no real reason other than to just not repeat the name. Unless it’s a character cross over, which I love seeing in books as well as doing myself, I dodged repeats like an agile gym student. After writing so many modern based novels, though, common names start to run thin, and repeaters are popping up. Which got me thinking, wouldn’t that make it more authentic?

Writing fantasy allowed me to have some really fun, strange, and out-there names. I could call a character Dagmar because it means “glorious” and she was a glorious warrior (or stage performer). I could name them Lucasta, Artimus, Checks, or any number of things because it simply didn’t matter. They were in a fantasy world, ‘normal’ was a different state of mind.

Looking at the modern world is different, I think that repeat names would land more authenticity. Example? My graduating class contained 3 Megans (of various spelling), 4 Ashleys (Again, various) 4 Jeffs, and a multitude of other repeats. And that was one graduating class, the rest of the high school was littered with them. I’m sure you know more than one person of a same name, so why shouldn’t your characters?

No, seriously, why shouldn’t they?

I’d love to know your opinions on the topic, so please share them.

Love’em for what’s on the inside – What makes a Charming Character

I’ve been analyzing a lot lately what makes a very loveable character, mostly in the heart-throb, swooning kind of way. But other than their charming good looks, and the things an author makes them do that causes crushes, there is also the personality.

My favorite Character in a book thus far.

Pocket, from Christopher Moore’s Fool, is definitely one of my character crushes. If you haven’t read the book, you should, especially if you like dark humor, Shakespeare, and you’re not easily offended by cursing (among other things). Pocket is King Lear’s jester, and he’s determined to restore the Kingdom back to its glory after Lear dismisses Cordelia from his good graces, and divides the Kingdom between his other daughters. Pocket, aside from being hugely comical, is also dark, slightly vengeful, loyal to those who deserve it, and extremely intelligent despite his upbringing. I loves me some Pocket. My other book crush is Erik from Phantom of the Opera. Yes, the book version. I know he’s a little (*cough*a lot *cough*) psychotic, murderous, obsessive, etc., but all he wants is to be loved, and treated like any other human being despite the very terrifying disfigurement of his face. He’s kinda like Wall-e except, you know, evil. But he very obviously has the possibility to change within him.

Characters like those two are very different, and they have very different aspects that get me to say that I adore them. So how does a person mold the personality to make a character loveable? This is where it can get truly sticky, because what one person adores, another abhors when it comes to a single trait. Even stranger, you can just shift the POV that the character is being viewed from and you can make the same person suddenly love a character they despised.

Well, with the difference between the characters I create, and the ones that I love, I have no authority to say what makes a personality (much like how I’m not sure I’m the authority on what makes a 25 year old’s heart flutter). But I do know that, no matter what the setting, it only takes that one thing, that one action that the character’s persona allows to happen, to sweep a reader off their feet. It doesn’t have to be a grand, heroic gesture – it could be as simple as picking up the dishes he broke for the waitress, being the supportive friend despite outsider’s objections, or being the shoulder to cry on when you have no idea why you’re crying in the first place. Any man can do these things, of course, but only ones who have certain personality traits can do it with honest feeling, and make it count.

So, what are you favorite personality traits to either read or write about?

Appealing to the mind’s-eye.

Every time I start a book, and begin to create new characters, I think about how they would look. Normally the personality, especially that of my leading man (or men), are already front of mind and need the eye-candy coated shell to be wrapped around it. This whole idea came about after considering the post I made last week about crushing on your characters. It’s easy for the creator do so, but what about the ones who pick up the book? Naturally, as most authors do, I want my guy to appear attractive to the reader. It’s a hard task to do considering people find different things attractive.

Maybe you prefer blonde hair over brown, or maybe no hair at all. Tattoos: do you enjoy them, or are they a deal breaker? Same goes with piercings (and if you’re all for them, maybe you aren’t in all areas). How about eyes? Are you more drawn to blue eyes, brown, green? Are you attracted to ‘four eyes’ or would you rather they wear contacts? What about build, ripped to the point of cheese grater abs, or do you like a little meat on the bones? Baby faced or strong jawed? Not to mention that, once you form that pristine male specimen in your head, you have to clothe him. Okay, so maybe you don’t have to clothe him, but unless you’re writing erotica, they can’t very well run around naked all the time.

Creating a character you want your audience to truly fall in love with can be really pain staking. Age range alone will make what appeals different from one reader to the next. You may say “but you have to keep your target audience in mind.” True, but consider this: chick-lit, contemporary romance, and the likes usually have a target audience of women ranging in age from 25-50. And while there are some women in their forties who find, say, the stars of Twilight to be hunky-monkeys, they’re probably going to lean more towards the George Clooney’s and Brad Pitts. My age range is more on the Robert Pattinson, Daniel Radcliff end of things. However, as demonstrated by the image below, they are not what I would call my cup of tea (Truth be told, looking at my top 6, I’m not sure I have a type except older).

On the left: Men Considered Attractive by people in my age group. On the right: Men I considered attractive. I think there's a difference

So how do you do it? How do you create the guys who will not only capture your heroine’s heart, but also that of your cherished reader? And readers, what makes a character appeal to you (outside of personality, because THAT’s what truly matters-and is a topic for another day).

Creating Perfect[ly flawed] Characters that steal your heart

Said to be the perfect man, but can you create a better one?

 @harleymaywrites Tweeted yesterday that she had a crush on one of her characters. I thought this was normal. In fact, I thought anything less than a crush on your characters set one up for failure in portraying them in the way you want them to be: perfectly flawed. Especially if you write tales of the heart like I do.

I myself have been infatuated with one of my characters for approximately two years now. He’s Simon Avery, the main love interest for my main character, Ellen, in the up-coming An Altered Ending. Simon has issues: like his fear of aging, his stubbornness, his cockiness (especially when it comes to his writing), and a few others. But he’s also incredibly supportive, loyal, empathetic, and, of course, hot. I loved him, and the way he is, so much that I ended up writing another piece with him a little more in the light (a ways away from completion, though).

I have enjoyed a particular dark haired villainous man from Heart Pulled to Pieces, as well as his arch rival. Yet, still, as much as I enjoyed these characters, they don’t hold the same amount of space in my creative heart that this guy does. There are similarities among all three (though two are more alike than the other), but no matter how I dice it, and no matter what I do to try and change it, Simon is still numero uno.

It makes me wonder what exactly makes a writer love one character more than another? Personality? Looks? Emotions tied to the piece that they’re involved in?

Even if it’s not the same level of admiration as the kind that makes you swoon, I think we all have “favorite children” amongst our pieces. You never really want to admit it, because you’re supposed to be proud of all of them, but there’s always one that sticks out more than the rest. It probably doesn’t hurt that they’re easy on the minds eye, and say witty and charming things while they run around in there.

So tell me, what are your favorite creations, and what makes you love them so much?

A special thanks to the Harley May on Twitter for inspiring the blogpost

Also, Gingie (the gingerbread man) was created by and is owned by Dreamworks