Tag: How to create characters for a story

Writing the Amateur Sleuth

Writing the amateur sleuth

So exciting to introduce a new author to you! The best thing about having guest bloggers is learning from them. I love how Sally Carpenter breaks down writing the amateur sleuth in cozy mysteries. So glad you’re here, Sally!

By nature, cozy mysteries involve an amateur sleuth, not a trained professional such as a private eye or police office. Why do cozy readers love such a sleuth? Perhaps they can readily identity with the protagonist and feel more involved in solving the crime with someone like themselves. Perhaps it’s because cozies place a strong emphasis on family, and it’s enjoyable to see the sleuth’s home life.

In my Sandy Fairfax cozy series, Sandy is a 39-year-old (he aged up in the latest book) former ‘70s teen idol restarting his career and reconnecting with his estranged family. Along the way he stumbles (sometimes literally) across bodies. What are the qualities that help him solve the crime?

Intelligence. Despite the way the press portrays teen idols as “cute faces,” they’re no dummies. During his career in the 1970s, on weekdays, Sandy learned lines and acted on a TV show. In the evenings he recorded albums. On weekends he traveled across the country to perform in live concerts. During the week he gave endless interviews, posed for photo shoots, took part in charity events, and tried to have a private life. A guy needed smarts and stamina for a schedule like that.

Some cozies have bumbling sleuths who solve a case through blind luck rather than detection. While such characters may be funny and likeable, it’s a cheat to the reader, and the constant fumbling gets stale over several books if the sleuth never wises up.  

Curiosity. Sandy wants answers to questions. He isn’t willing to let things drop. In my latest book, The Highland Havoc Caper, he and his son find a body inside a castle. But when they fetch help and return, the corpse is gone. Sandy’s told to go away and forget about it, but he’d determined to find out what happened.

Charisma. Teen idols have an appeal that pulls in the fans. Sandy turns on the charm when he’s interviewing a suspect. Since he has no police authority, he must reply on his personality to reach people. Some suspects will speak to Sandy simply because he’s a celebrity. 

Creativity. Since Sandy has no law enforcement powers, he must find clever—and legal—means to talk to people and search buildings. Any evidence he finds may not be admissible in court, so he must go the extra mile to build a case against the culprit.

Free time. Sandy isn’t tied down to a nine-to-five job. He has down time between gigs and rehearsals to snoop around. Many cozy sleuths are shop owners. Not only does this give them the opportunity to get the news through their customers, but they can have an employee mind the shop while they go tend to a case.

Access. Most of Sandy’s cases take place in the entertainment business. As a performer himself, he’s in close contact with his suspects, more so than the police. He knows how to connect with his fellow singers/actors. 

Attention to detail. At the end of each book, Sandy manages to take the bits and pieces and fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle. It’s a throwaway clue or a chance remark or a physical object found at the scene of the crime that unmasks the killer. Sandy’s good at paying attention and remembering facts.

A sense of justice. Sandy wants to see right prevail and the wicked punished. In the book The Quirky Quiz Show Caper, Sandy’s brother, Warren, is framed for murder. Even though the brothers are not on speaking terms, Sandy is determined to see that his brother’s name is cleared. 

All good amateur sleuths—as well as professionals—have these characteristics. And readers love characters with brains, guts and a sense of fair play.

For more information about me and my cozies, as well the opportunity to download two free stories, go to my website http://sandyfairfaxauthor.com.

For more advice on creating characters, click here.

*****

Former pop star Sandy Fairfax engages in a dangerous hobby—amateur sleuthing. At the Seaside Highland Games in California, he and his teenage son, Chip, discover more than their heritage. In a castle transported from Scotland, they find a body bludgeoned with a curling stone. But when they go for help, the corpse vanishes. Without a body or even a name, how will Sandy find the killer? As he and Cinnamon plan their wedding, more bodies pile up. A piper plummets from the castle tower and into the ocean. Another body is found behind a Scottish pub in L.A. And when Sandy takes a guest role on the Spook Spotters TV show, the worried dad must keep Chip safe from an amorous young actress. Whether you take the high road or the low road, can you solve the case before Sandy does? Buy the Kindle or the paperback.

*****

Sally Carpenter is a native Hoosier now living in Ventura County, California. She writes adult retro-cozy mysteries: The Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol series (six books) and the Psychedelic Spy series (two books). The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caperwas a 2012 Eureka! Award finalist for Best First Mystery Book. She has a M.A. in theater, a M.Div., and a black belt in tae kwon do. She’s currently working on a new science fiction/mystery series. Download free stories from her website.

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When to Eliminate a Character

when to eliminate a character

I wrote this blog four years ago and I’m reprinting it because I now have an epilogue to it. I also think it’s important for a writer to know when to eliminate a character. The YA crime novel I refer to has never been published. Shortly after I knew “A Rose from the Ashes” was going to be published, I abandoned the novel for my Rae Riley mysteries.

I thought I was ready.

When an agent said I could send her the proposal for my YA crime novel, she also said I could send two-paragraph blurbs describing the other books in the series. When I got home, I was so excited and settled down to the job, eager to introduce into the second novel one of my favorite characters, a mysterious stranger who helps my main character and his family and whose motivations and history are revealed over the series.

Only I couldn’t summarize the book. No matter how I approached the blurb, I kept stumbling over my mysterious stranger. He wouldn’t fit easily into the narrative. He clashed and grated on other characters. His motivations never felt right. A few days before November 11, 2018, I hit on the reason: I didn’t need him any more.

In my head, I’d been developing this series for years, adding characters, changing personalities, explored motivations. I now had other characters who could do the job of the mysterious stranger more easily and believably.

So on November 11, 2018, I killed my character. It didn’t bother me like I thought it would. I love my characters, feeling an almost maternal protectiveness (don’t tell my kids) as I nurture and polish them. But once I killed the stranger, I felt at ease. When a story isn’t working, I obsess over how to fix it because I can’t stand the feeling that something is wrong. After I made the the final decision to axe the stranger, the relief I felt signaled I’d made the right decision.

It also signaled I’d changed as a writer. I was more concerned with serving the story than myself. I found myself wanting to write the best story possible, no matter how painful the path to get there.

So, sorry, mysterious stranger. I may resurrect you for another story, change you a bit, cast you in a somewhat different role.

But for now — rest in peace.

Epilogue

I have resurrected the mysterious stranger.

He’s changed a lot. He’s younger and now works as a deputy in Marlin County for the father of my main character, Rae Riley. His appearance has also changed, but what hasn’t is his air of mystery. This results from his silence about certain parts of his life and also the wide range of unusual skills he has. Over the course of the series, I hope to reveal his mysterious past.

So be encouraged–if you’ve worked years on a book that you can’t sell, try writing something else. Then you will very likely draw on settings or characters or plots from the old book and transform them into something better for the new one. I believe no writing experience is a waste if it’s a building block to something better.

For more tips on creating characters, click here.

Have you put a hit out on a character? Why?

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Characters You Meet Along the Way

Characters You Meet Along the Way

YA author M. Liz Boyle is back with “Characters You Meet Along the Way” as we dive into the fascinating process of creating characters for our stories. You can read her other guest blogs here. Thanks for coming back, Liz!

“It’s not where you go. It’s who you meet along the way.” Dorothy is credited with this saying in The Wizard of Oz. It’s a sweet quote to share with your family and friends.

I think sentiment also applies to authors. Think of your favorite books. Do you reread your favorite scenes because of what happens or where it happens, or because of who it happens to? Just like relationships are essential to life, characters are what make stories come to life. (I am not discounting the importance of setting or plot, but for this article, I’m focusing on characters.)

Here are some tips to make your fictional characters as interesting and varied as the people you know in real life:

Describe more than what you see.

When you meet someone, are hair and eye color the only things you notice? The tone of voice he uses and whether he maintains eye contact might make more of an impression. Does her body language put you at ease or make you wonder if she’s running from the cops? Before he answers your pointed question, does he check his watch or give you full attention? Is she only halfway listening to you as she periodically scrolls through her phone, or does she make you feel like she has all afternoon to listen? Qualities like these (and more!) are worth describing so your readers get a full sense of who your characters are. 

Give your characters sayings or mannerisms that are unique to each character.

Maybe you have a mentor who often starts conversations with, “Listen, I was thinking….” Meanwhile your sister commonly skips up the porch steps and says, “Guess what!” Assign phrases to different characters to help distinguish their personalities. 

Choose your character’s interests.

If you want readers to know certain details, let the character who is most likely to recognize those details describe them. 

A character who describes her own clothing in detail will probably describe other people’s wardrobes, too. She’s interested in clothing, so she notices that in other characters. This fashionista character probably will not describe vehicles with the detail of a car collector. She might recognize a car as old enough to be in a car show, but she probably wouldn’t say, “Look at that 1960s Shelby Mustang with the racing stripes.” 

My husband is a tree worker, and he can tell me all about the health and species of trees in a yard and their proximity to power lines and propane tanks, but he can’t ballpark what century the house was built in because it doesn’t interest him. 

Here’s a snippet of a recent conversation with my dad that illustrates this. 

Dad [about the first time he went water skiing, which was many decades ago]: The boat had a 30 horsepower outboard motor. It was a Mercury with a four cylinder.

Me: What color was the boat?

Dad: I don’t remember that. 

Me: [wondering how he can remember the motor but not the boat color]

It’s unrealistic if characters are all-knowing, so give them interests like real people.

I hope these three tips help you design your characters. What other ideas do you have? Thank you so much, JPC Allen, for hosting me today!

*****

Adventurous teenager Marlee Stanley has a knack for finding herself in natural disasters with her sisters and the Miles boys. When their adventures take a turn for the worse, will Marlee cave under pressure, or will her faith in God be strong enough to guide her to safety? 

Check out the books on Amazon!

*****

M. Liz Boyle

Liz is the author of the Off the Itinerary series, the wife of a professional tree climber, and the homeschooling mom of three energetic and laundry-producing children. Liz once spent a summer in Colorado teaching rock climbing, which she believes was a fantastic way to make money and memories. She resides with her family in Wisconsin, where they enjoy hiking and rock climbing. Liz and her husband have also backpacked in Colorado and the Grand Canyon, which have provided inspiration for her writing. She makes adventurous stories to encourage others to find adventures and expand their comfort zones (though admittedly, she still needs lots of practice expanding her own comfort zone). Follow Liz on her website, Facebook, Instagram, GoodReads, and BookBub.

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Start a Story with a Character

start a story with a character

I’d say the majority of writers like to start a story with a character, and I’m one of them. Usually a face I’ve seen somewhere takes hold of my imagination and I begin to build a character behind it. Before I list tips on how to start a story with a character, I want to emphasize two dangers when developing characters.

Too Much Backstory and Not Enough Real Story

One problem with creating characters is that a writer will get so caught up in characters charts, personality quizzes, and history that he or she neglects to actually move on to writing a story. Playing with our characters is fun, like playing with our kids. But at some point, playtime is over, and it’s time to do homework.

You probably know some writers who are always in the planning stages of writing a novel, who talk all the time about the fascinating characters they’re developing. But they never graduate to plotting a story.

When you first discover an intriguing character, by all means, have fun. Enjoy the discovery process as the character reveals different aspects of her personality and history. But keep in the back of your mind all this fun is pointless unless you actual settle down to writing a story about this great character.

Take Off the Rose-Colored Glasses

Characters are like our children. We often overlook their flaws and only see their virtues. This can be deadly in a story. If I’m reading a story in which one of the main characters is consistently praised by every other character, I begin to dislike him or her. If you have a likable character, let readers come to that realization on their own. Those kind of discoveries are a joy for readers. You don’t have to prime the reader’s pump by having the other characters constantly point out a main character’s sterling qualities. Yes, friends or family would complement each other, but keep it to a realistic minimum.

One of the things I enjoyed about writing my mystery short story, “Bovine”, was describing my fictional Marlin County, Ohio, in a negative way. The main character is a New York novelist who comes to the county to enact his perfect crime. Not being used to country life, or country people, and being entirely self-absorbed and nasty, he views the area through his snobby perception. He considers all locals “bovine.” Not only was this character a change of pace for me but it helped me see my fictional world in a new way.

Make Your Character Fit Your Genre

If your hero has weathered more trials than Job, he probably won’t work in a rom-com. If he’s a comedian, he might not fit in a gritty police procedural. Once you have a decent grasp on your main character, determine which genre will work best for him.

Road Test Your Character

If you have no idea what kind of plot to drop your character into, write a few scenes as road tests to see how she operates under different conditions.

  • A scene in which she is kind
  • A scene in which she is angry
  • A scene in which she has a victory
  • A scene in which she has a defeat
  • A scene with her best friend
  • A scene with her closest relative
  • A scene with an enemy
  • A scene with a difficult person

After you’ve seen how your character behaves, hopefully, you will start generating ideas for plot in which he can get to work.

For another view on creating characters, click here for a ten-part series on The Write Conversation.

For character prompts, click here.

How do you start a story with a character?

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