Category: Characters
I love making characters and, if the planets align and I’ve done it right, then they come alive and leap from the page. They become real to you.
What’s All this About Characters?
And, just in case I mess up and my characters do not feel real to you? Then please feel free to contact me and hold my feet to the fire. Er, figuratively.
Seriously.
If have messed up, then tell me.
And if my characters feel good and real and true to you, then I hope you will let me know that as well!
So, here are some observations about them.
Faves
Who are my favorite creations?
Craig Firenze — the Force of Nature
Craig is a trip to write because every other word is a swear word. While all of the characters in Mettle have potty mouths, he takes it to an extreme.
I mean, why do you think the first word anyone says in that book is his—and it’s an f-bomb?
Peri Martin — the Snarky Author Stand-in
While all of my characters are me to some extent, Peri is my snarky best. But I was never as reckless as she is.
Er, was I? Hmm.
Ceilidh O’Malley — the Fan Favorite
People love Ceilidh and I think they’ve got the right idea. I don’t think I have another character who went on such a journey. When you first see her, she is at her absolute lowest in life.
It was great fun to write her prequel. I hope readers come away with a greater appreciation of what she went through, but also of her mother’s motivations.
Tommy 2000 — the Plastic and Polymer Hero
How do you make a robot humanish but not turn him into a latter-day Pinocchio? I hope I’ve done Tommy some justice.
Ixalla — the Alien Revolutionary
One of the conceits of Untrustworthy is that no one in it is human. Ixalla wasn’t even originally going to be as big a character as she turned out to be. Ixalla became a voice for freedom. And I like that about her.
Trixie LaRue the Favorite Secondary/Sidekick
From her gol-darn Kentucky accent (based on my BFF’s mom, with love to Mrs. P) to her cougarish ways, to her loving friendships, to her radical competency, Patricia Louise LaRue is a kick to write and should be anyone’s ride or die.
Takeaways
Making characters is one of the most fun parts of writing fiction. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.
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