Now that you’ve decided on a terrific name for your characters, what next?
Real or imagined. Memoir or fiction. Doesn’t matter. Same rules apply.
Turn flat into fabulous!
The characters must come alive in a manuscript and jump from the page into a reader’s heart. If not, they stop reading.
So how do we go about breathing life into these flawed creatures?
- Each character must have a defining description. Something unique to them.
- Make comparisons and/or contrasts with another character. Plain Jane is best friends with Fanny Fashionista.
- Give them something to collect, obsess over, or talent.
- Everyone has a pet peeve, even a small one. Don’t leave it out of the story.
- What’s in her purse, pocket, car, closet? What will she not leave home without?
- Don’t forget her diary, journal or the divorce decree. Search out and include legal and private documents.
- How does your character talk? Texas twang, Southern…
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