I promised that today I would talk a little about how I develop my fictionalized characters. Well, one thing I do is try to make them real. I give each of them their own way of speaking and their own behavior patterns.<\/p>\n
Sometimes when I edit manuscripts for other authors, I lose a sense of which character is speaking or pursuing some activity. The author assigns the same way of speaking with the same attitude and pet phrases to more than one character.<\/p>\n
I let my fingers develop some of my characters. I don\u2019t know if this ever happens to you, but I start typing and it is as if the story emerges from my fingers. I am somehow removed from the experience except as a spectator watching the story develop and the characters\u2019 personalities surface.<\/p>\n
Other times it\u2019s pure torture trying to establish unique personal qualities and character flaws\u2014all of which make for a real character profiles, right?<\/p>\n
Once I\u2019ve introduced (or I\u2019ve been introduced to) a character, I try to stay true to their character traits as I write. Sometimes I AM that person when I write as him or her. But I still write down not only the description of that person and his or her traits and habits, but also their way of talking\u2014phrases they might use. I do refer to my notes on occasion to make sure I\u2019m not blurring the personalities of my characters.<\/p>\n
In my Klepto Cat Mysteries, Savannah is a very different type of person than her aunt Margaret, but they can tune into one another\u2014they can relate. They just speak differently and have separate ways of handling situations and challenges. Savannah\u2019s sister is more like Aunt Margaret in looks, gestures and temperament. Iris is distinctly different as is Craig Sledge.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s really fun is developing the purrsonalities of the cats I write about. In story 4\u2014which I actually finished writing yesterday\u2014yes, I\u2019ve completed the first draft. Well, I\u2019ve brought in a kitten\u2014she\u2019s spunky and she\u2019s sweet and she\u2019s going to follow in Rags\u2019s (the main cat character\u2019s) paws as a bit of a kleptomaniac cat.<\/p>\n
How does one develop animal personalities? I guess you have to know animals, their behavior, how they differ. You have to care about animals. In my mystery novels, the animals are animals. They don\u2019t talk, except to say \u201cmew,\u201d \u201cwoof,\u201d or \u201cmeow\u201d occasionally. They do act and react, though, apropos to their individual personalities.<\/p>\n
Great News<\/strong><\/p>\n I received another 5-star review at Amazon for Catnapped<\/i> and a 5-star review for Cat-Eye Witness<\/i>. Always good to see. How seriously do I take reviews? Here\u2019s my thing: I brag about the good reviews. I feel good about them. I take them seriously. When I get one that is not so flattering (and I think we all do), I shine it on\u2014I say, \u201cIt\u2019s just opinion\u2014that\u2019s all\u2014doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d I do welcome reviews and, in fact, encourage them. Reviews influence readers, not so much by the stars awarded, but because a review brings attention to the book.<\/p>\n Exposure, exposure, exposure. That\u2019s the name of the game, folks.<\/p>\n Announcement<\/strong><\/p>\n I will hit a milestone with my blog entries soon. And I plan to offer gifts to my blog followers that week. So stay tuned toward the third week in this month. I will be generous.<\/p>\n Can any of you guess how many blog posts I\u2019ve written just in this blog\u2014what count this milestone will reflect? PLFry620@yahoo.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I promised that today I would talk a little about how I develop my fictionalized characters. Well, one thing I do is try to make them real. I give each of them their own way of speaking and their own behavior patterns. Sometimes when I edit manuscripts for other authors, I lose a sense of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t