Developing the characters in a story is a key element in how well a book reads. Jan Green writes in this post about how she developed some of her characters in her novel Out of the Frying Pan.
To make the characters in my book as realistic as possible, I often base them on people I have met or known in the past. However, they soon become unique personalities in their own right, often quite different from the original people on whom they are based.
I have always been intrigued in what makes a person an individual, and often covertly study people with interest to find out what motivates them and makes them behave in a certain way. If someone talks about himself of herself–something that most people are compelled to do for some reason–it is possible to relate to them how the circumstances of their lives have moulded them into to personality they have become. Their facial expressions and body language often reveal a great deal as well.
As I create the characters in my book, I think about how the circumstances in their lives have moulded them into the people they are. People react to different circumstances in many ways; some respond to bad experiences by becoming bitter and evil, while others learn from the incident and become better people.
As an author, I have the power to create each and every person in my story. I can make each one as good or evil as I please, and this is quite empowering! I do try and have a good mix of characters because that is true to life, and a story with only good or bad people would be very boring.
The image we used for Sharba on the cover of the book
In my book Out of the Frying Pan, Sharba has had many difficulties in her life, but she has overcome them all and is a well-balanced and pleasant personality. Arlo has also had trauma in his life, but he has been unable to handle it well at first. He makes mistakes, but eventually pulls himself and his life together. Then there is Karl, Arlo’s son; he has had a good upbringing and there is no reason for him to become the unpleasant, corrupt character that he has developed into. But we all know of people who have inexplicitly turned out that way, don’t we? It’s interesting how I have been able to form Karl and weave his corrupt character into the storyline of the book to achieve a significant dramatic turn of events in the latter part of the book.
Try before you Buy: Read a couple of chapters HERE
BUY: Paperback HERE
BUY: Kindle HERE
