When I’m starting a new story, I have a general idea of what I envision for the character; but my favorite part is character sketching. This is where the author starts answering questions about the character- hair color, eye color, personality, their dislikes and likes. Then it evolves into deeper questions about their weaknesses, fears, strengths, to find out what motivates and drives them. This is where I get to really see the character and know which direction the story will take.
Once the characters are in place, I look for names, and try to find ones that represent the characters or have a meaning that ties in with the theme of the story. My current work in progress is a Supernatural YA novel called Bethesda. In this story, the last of the Seer’s bloodline hangs in the balance as two estranged demon and angel brothers are forced to together to save a girl’s life. I chose Bethesda because it means “house of mercy” and the main character Thea, means “God’s gift.”
I love characters that make you root for them. Characters that is not afraid to show the messy parts of life. Characters that do not hide behind a mask, to only show the best versions of themselves. I love characters that are rough around the edges and may mess up, but have some sort of redeeming quality that makes the reader keep reading and keep hoping.
Life is not always easy, and if you wait till life is perfect to start to enjoy it, it will pass you by. It’s also no secret that I love movies, and screenwriting. One of favorite lines about life is found in “Letters to Juliet” when Claire says: “Life is the messy bits.” This sums up perfectly what I want to show in all of my characters: the messy parts of life.
Hugs,
Erin
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