Creating My Characters
Chronicles: The Library of Illumination has a great pair of protagonists whose personalities complement each other—like bacon and eggs... milk and cookies... gin and tonic... actually they’re teens, so scratch the gin and tonic.
It’s a wonder I can create characters at all, because I have a horrible memory, so I need ways to remember them—or they’ll all blend into one another. For that reason, many of my characters are based on actors or historical figures—people whose looks embody the characters I’m creating and whose images I can conjure at a moment’s notice to get the details right. Once I know what they look like, I put some thought into their names. I often research both first and surnames for a particular region or ethnicity and look up their meanings, so the name reflects the character. And in my historical books (Code Name: Evangeline; Evangeline's Ghost), I study clothing for the period and dress my characters accordingly.
That process worked really well for my first two novels, however, Chronicles: The Library of Illumination took a 180 degree turn. Johanna Charette and Jackson Roth came out of nowhere. Johanna arrived first as the sole protagonist in the original Library of Illumination novelette, and her name and background developed out of thin air. When I started that story, it wasn’t with a particular genre in mind, nor with the intention of turning it into a series. I though I’d end up with a short, cozy mystery. Instead, I created a library that came to life along with its enchanted books and I couldn’t leave it alone.
I began the sequel, Doubloons, knowing I needed a male to counterbalance Johanna’s character. He developed on the page rather than in my mind. The more I wrote, the more solid he became. I actually think he’s a better character than Johanna because you get to meet his family and his friends in the book and they all add dimension to his character. Johanna gave birth to the series, but because she never knew her parents and was brought up in an institution she happily left behind, her background is not as deep. We know she’s devoted and smart and steadfast, and we learn in Casanova that she can come across as sexy, as well. But we won’t really know her until the novelettes making up the Second Chronicles of Illumination are released. There’s going to be a lot going on—and I’ve got a few ideas in mind, which should give Johanna layers upon layers of depth.
I've also started a bio for each character outlining his or her background, idiosyncrasies, and beliefs. I've found as the bio grows, so does the character, and that's always good. The one thing I try (and often fail) to do is describe my characters without really describing them. Every reader is going to see a character differently, and the less specific I can be about the details, the more leeway the reader has to create a unique persona in their mind's eye.
It’s a wonder I can create characters at all, because I have a horrible memory, so I need ways to remember them—or they’ll all blend into one another. For that reason, many of my characters are based on actors or historical figures—people whose looks embody the characters I’m creating and whose images I can conjure at a moment’s notice to get the details right. Once I know what they look like, I put some thought into their names. I often research both first and surnames for a particular region or ethnicity and look up their meanings, so the name reflects the character. And in my historical books (Code Name: Evangeline; Evangeline's Ghost), I study clothing for the period and dress my characters accordingly.
That process worked really well for my first two novels, however, Chronicles: The Library of Illumination took a 180 degree turn. Johanna Charette and Jackson Roth came out of nowhere. Johanna arrived first as the sole protagonist in the original Library of Illumination novelette, and her name and background developed out of thin air. When I started that story, it wasn’t with a particular genre in mind, nor with the intention of turning it into a series. I though I’d end up with a short, cozy mystery. Instead, I created a library that came to life along with its enchanted books and I couldn’t leave it alone.
I began the sequel, Doubloons, knowing I needed a male to counterbalance Johanna’s character. He developed on the page rather than in my mind. The more I wrote, the more solid he became. I actually think he’s a better character than Johanna because you get to meet his family and his friends in the book and they all add dimension to his character. Johanna gave birth to the series, but because she never knew her parents and was brought up in an institution she happily left behind, her background is not as deep. We know she’s devoted and smart and steadfast, and we learn in Casanova that she can come across as sexy, as well. But we won’t really know her until the novelettes making up the Second Chronicles of Illumination are released. There’s going to be a lot going on—and I’ve got a few ideas in mind, which should give Johanna layers upon layers of depth.
I've also started a bio for each character outlining his or her background, idiosyncrasies, and beliefs. I've found as the bio grows, so does the character, and that's always good. The one thing I try (and often fail) to do is describe my characters without really describing them. Every reader is going to see a character differently, and the less specific I can be about the details, the more leeway the reader has to create a unique persona in their mind's eye.
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