Know Your Characters

Character development is a very critical part of any novel. We all know this to be true. It can actually add to the story, open new avenues, and present new angles we may have missed before hand. How much you develop your characters is completely up to you. Some writers get a basic idea and build their characters as they write while others fill out a character work sheet before they start. Which will work best for you? I don't know. I recommend trying both or combining the two. Many think the main character or characters are the only ones that need to be developed but you truly don't know if a character will rise from the shadows and take on a much larger role in your story.



Before I wrote the first word for Born of Blood I sat down and described the characters on a sheet of paper. I believe we all have an idea of how our characters look and how they act but it is always good to write these thoughts down so you can refer to it later on. For example, I knew how my characters looked but after I wrote that down I would add notes such as:



Charles - silent, intimidating, powerful, and closed off.

Sam - A little nerdy, average build but muscular, computer savvy, and shy

Janet - A lover of men, Jesse's friends, high maintenance, and obsessive



There are other characters that I added notes to as I developed them on paper before I started writing the novel. From that list I decided what and if I was missing something in the form of characters. I made this decision by the why I wanted the story to flow. For example, I wanted Jesse to have a co-worker who is very unsavory to add both drama and comedy to the story. If I said I wanted a chauvinistic, rude, obnoxious man to be Jesse's co-worker I bet you already have a picture of him in your mind. No, I didn't have a name yet but I knew the characters.



Then there is that moment when you're writing and a character comes out of nowhere. Maybe this character will be a flash in the pain or maybe this particular character will reach out to you and demand your attention. This is exactly what happened in Born of Blood. I wrote a scene that had Jesse, Janet, and Drake in a bar. Janet left with a man she picked up and the waitress brought drinks to the table for Jesse and Drake. I knew I was running flat at this stage and needed to pick up the action but didn't know how. Well, this waitress not only provided a means to energize this scene but also built upon that momentum and became a prolific character.



The important thing is to not underestimate your characters, no matter if they are in one scene or in a chapter. Give them the opportunity to shine...they just might surprise you.