First I want to thank the ravishing Raven for letting me
stop by and chat for a bit. Pretty nice place she has here, I hope I don't do
anything to embarrass myself so that she lets me come back sometime.
(She knows she is always welcome~R)
I thought
I'd share a little about my character formation and how it relates to my latest
release, Taking Pleasure Where You Can. And to keep it fun and interesting, how
about a little top ten list?
Top Ten Things I Must Know About My Characters Before I
Write Them
1. Physical
description. This is a no brainer. Height, weight, hair and eye color. All of
that has to be known to make the character real.
2. Where
they are from. What country, what part of the country. Small town or big city,
all of that really matters to their character development.
3. Their
romantic past. Have they dated a lot or barely at all? Been married? Been
cheated on or mistreated? Are they a virgin? Experienced? Hey I write romance,
I need to know these things.
4. Their
profession. Are they rich and privileged trust fund kids? Are they hard working
middle class? Are they something glamorous like a movie star or musician? This
is very telling about their attitudes toward life.
5. Are
they a supernatural being? Ok, this is a strange one, but hey I write a lot of
paranormal romance and this is something I always think about when coming up
with a character. Some characters are just meant to me vampires, shifters, etc.
They tell me, I don’t choose it!
6. Their
biggest regret. Everyone has something that they regret and this is very
telling about their past as well as their present.
7. Their
biggest achievement or accomplishment. Again, what someone is proud of will
give a lot of insight into exactly who they are.
8. What
they are scared of most in their world. Some people fear dying. Others fear being
alone. Or told what to do. Being held back from their dreams. Our fears are
also some of our biggest motivators and that holds true for my characters. For
example, in my latest release Taking Pleasure Where You Can, John is scared of
remembering the horrors at Pearl Harbor and essentially stops living in order
to repress his feelings and thoughts on the horrific time in his life.
9. Why
there are where they are. Is the setting their hometown? Do they love it there
or long to be somewhere else? Did business or pleasure bring them there? These
offer powerful clues to their mindset during the story. Like in Taking
Pleasure, John is station in Manila but Imee is a native, they are naturally
going to view their setting very differently.
10. Are
they open and looking for love? Again, I write romance and I need to know if
they are looking for happily ever after or happy for right now. This will help
guide me as I write the story. Not every couple needs to be headed for wedded
bliss after all!
Well there you
have it, the things I must know about my characters before I start writing
anything. Of course some of these are fluid and can change through the
characters learning and growing in the story. But I find these to be good
starting places.
Blurbs from Taking Pleasure Where You Can:
John never
thought that he would be the same after Pearl Harbor, then he set eyes on Imee
and everything changed.
Ever since Pearl
Harbor John had become a shell of a man, not able to move on from the trauma.
One night out with the guys and one woman were about to change everything.
Excerpt:
Joe seemed to
know everyone, and everyone seemed keen to be near him. It made it much easier
for the quiet by nature and still healing John to slowly make some friends.
Once the drinks started flowing, he even began to loosen up a bit. He missed
hanging out with guys, telling stories, joking around, and laughing. His
Captain had been right; this was what he needed and what his friends who had
passed on would want. He was beginning to feel alive again, and it felt good.
Then he caught sight of her.
Author Bio:
Kelly Ryan, aka
Sheri Velarde, lives in New Mexico and grew up with a fascination for all
things that "go bump in the night", so it is no wonder that she
turned to writing paranormal romance among other genres of romance. She is an
avid exerciser and gets some of her best ideas while on runs. She also has a
bit of a wild side, which only leads to inspiration for her writing.
Being an avid
reader since an early age, she has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can
remember. She has been writing all her life, but only recently started to
actually try to pursue her dream of writing for a living.
She is constantly
putting out new material, so it is best to keep up with her on her website.
Kelly/Sheri is a
multi-published author; you can keep up to date with all things Kelly
Ryan/Sheri Velarde at: www.sherivelarde.weebly.com.
Buy Link:
Thanks for letting me stop by and talk Raven! You are a doll!
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