Characters – Page 2 – Jean's Writing

How to make a character more real to a reader

Published on April 5, 2018April 10, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

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 drawl, up North clip, curse, spray, slur, or tick put it in the story.
Look at pictures and fill in the blanks. Memoir pictures help us a lot but so do artwork for fiction. Think about it.
Rich, poor, political, religious, serious, hateful, jealous, and what else influenced them.
And don’t forget those life-changing events. Marriage, birth, death, divorce, job new/lost, love, heartbreak, sickness, etc.

My list is just a taste of a great article written by Shuly X. Cawood on Brevity.

Make Your Memoir’s “Characters”—Yes, Those Real Ones—More Real to the Reader By Shuly X. Cawood

Click and read her post to get much more details on giving life to your characters, real or imagined.

Did these tips help you?

Do you have a trick to add?

Do you have difficulty breathing life into your characters?

Do you think it’s easier to flesh out memoir characters or fiction?

Want more!

Keep reading…

One-dimensional Characters in Literature

Writing Remedy: How to Breathe Life Into One-Dimensional Characters

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How to add a friends quirks to your character

Published on September 20, 2017September 19, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

We all have them, those irritating, funny, or lovable people who make our lives complete.

Without an aggravating co-worker, who would we bitch about?

What would our BBQ be without the life of the party friend?

Pink Panther - Life of the party

Or how about that loving friend who embraces all of our warts, and keeps us sane? Gotta have a best friend character, right?

Roz Morris refers to these everyday characters as “plot zombies.” No, not the flesh-eating kind. But people who add spice and zing to the story. Adding ‘equilibrium of irritation’ to the plot might be just what you’re searching for.

She uses an old sitcom Sienfield to show examples in the extreme. Although, I beg to differ. Because I’ve met a few of these extreme characters in real life. Which goes right to her point.

Roz explains, that time moves on and we deal with the quirks of people in our world because that’s life. “Art imitates life.” Oscar Wilde. But I contend, life also imitates art, especially in fiction.

I love her example and it really got me to thinking how I need to add a little ‘equilibrium of irritation’ to my WIP. So, now which of my characters needs spice? Hmm…

Watch and see what Roz is talking about…

Did anyone look familiar? Maybe, an aunt, nutty uncle or coworker?

Do you think there is room in your story for a little ‘equilibrium of irritation’?

Have you applied a real person quirks to a character?

Or maybe you have a favorite sit-com that inspires you. Do tell.

Click and read all about…

Fictional characters – a lesson from Seinfeld from Roz Morris at Nail Your Novel

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Do you know the right amount of information to share?

Published on August 25, 2017August 21, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

About your characters?

We all know how important descriptions and details are in a story. But how much is too much?

This a really good blog post that reminds us not to sweat the minute by minute mundane details of our life of our characters.

Take it away Budgie.

Budgie’s Journal #69 – Where Does the Poop Go?

How much is too much information?

Should we add in more or less of everyday functions?

I like to hear your thought. Leave me a comment and let’s talk.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

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How to conduct an effective, revealing interview

Published on May 12, 2017May 10, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell25 Comments

Of a fictional character

That’s right, main, minor or your imaginary muse. You can conduct an interview and discover all sorts of stuff about them.

You can be formal and all Dragnet, “Just the facts.” Using a basic character template that fills in stuff like name, rank, eye color, height, weight, marriage status, etc.

Or you can get creative and let your freak fly free with wild questions.

This is your interview so ask away.

I’ve never seen anyone have fun with the process as much as Dan Alatorre did in a recent post. Character Interview: Samantha (Sam) From Poggibonsi.

Dan’s post got me to thinking, which by the way, is not always easy. What if I were to conduct a conversation before I sit down to write a scene? A shortened version of an interview?

Who doesn’t enjoy talking about themselves? Especially, fictional people. What better way to get a story flowing than taking a minute to ask questions?

Every writer, at some point or another, encounters a reluctant character who fails to show up for work. Why not call them and find out why they are a no-show?

How would that phone call go?

Phone pressed to my ear, I glanced at the clock on my desk for the umpteenth time.

“Come on, answer the damn phone EJ.” I cursed at the continued ringing in my ear. No way would I would not leave another voice mail. I hated voice mail.

“Hello.”

“God almighty EJ! You’ve got the phone upside down.” I screamed into the phone.

“That better?” Her laughter echoed through the phone. Someone had a fun night and it wasn’t me.

“Are you still in bed?”

“No, no I’m up.”

“Did you plan on showing up today?” My jaw pops, and my left I twitches as I mentally count to ten.

“Yeah, sure. What time is it?”

“Nine thirty, and I’ve been waiting since seven.” I take a deep breath, rotate my head hoping to loosen the strangling tension in my neck. “We were gonna write the next chapter this morning.”

“Sorr-ee. So I’m a little late. Keep your panties on, there’s still time to get it done.”

“What happened, one too many margaritas last night?”

“No, only a couple. But I was on a roll and stayed up till past one writing a kick ass murder…”

“Stop right there EJ.” I did not want to hear about a new project. “You promised to finish this book before you started another one.”

“God Almighty Jean, I can work on more than one project at a time.”

“No, you can’t. Mine will fall on the back burner. I know you.”

“Good grief. I’m leaving now. Hear?” EJ rattled her keys against the phone.

“Give me a hint, and I’ll start writing the next scene.”

“You know, I can’t think until I’ve had coffee. Maybe I’ll stop at Starbucks.”

“No! Get over here, I’ve got a fresh pot brewing. I can’t write without you.”

Her laughter is muffled by the car engine. “Bless your heart, you are lost without me.”

My eyes drift from the clock to the blank screen of my laptop. I hate waiting, and EJ knows it.