CREATING
MEMORABLE CHARACTERS
By Nicola Furlong
Quick,
think of Gone with the Wind, Murder on the Orient Express or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
What
jumps into your mind first? A snippet of the story or a character?
For
me, Scarlett O’Hara, Hercule Poirot and Lisbeth Salander leap to the fore.
Their personalities live well beyond words on a page, and represent the gold
standard in character development. Once met, never forgotten.
So,
how does an author go about developing an unforgettable persona? I’m not sure
about other professional scribblers, but I craft my cast of imaginary players making
endless decisions, using an assortment of techniques, and answering countless
questions. Way too many to detail here, however, I thought I would share an
insight into the birth of two of my lead characters.
The
first critical decision a novelist must make is who is telling the tale? Once known,
you can decide on how the story is told.
For
example, while penning my first murder mystery Teed Off!, I wanted readers to go behind the scenes of professional
women’s golf and hustle down the fairways along with my storyteller, pro golfer
and coroner Riley Quinn. By choosing a First Person point of view, readers are
up close and personal with Riley, and experience her grief and anger as she
struggles to solve a murder, reconcile with an estranged sibling and accept her
new physical limitations.
I
desired something different in Heartsong,
the first in my new series of cozy novels about family and forgiveness. This
series features three quirky sisters—Faith, Hope and Charly Shepherd—all key to
the storylines, but how would their fun and inspirational tales unfold? I
needed both proximity and distance to allow me to create the series’ gentle
tone, and finally decided to tell the story from a Third Person point of view,
through the youngest daughter’s perspective.
But
who is Riley Quinn and why is she so teed off? And what is missing in Charly
Shepherd’s life that compels this single mom to question her destiny?
First
step to developing a fictional character involves pondering basic tombstone
stuff, like age, sex, occupation, appearance and family. Then, the writer takes
a deeper, more personal dive, examining temperament, personality, values,
motivations, fears and dreams.
Conflict
is key to creating reader interest. That’s why Scarlett is torn between two
men, why Hercule clashes with quaint English mores, and why Lisbeth’s dreadful
past haunts her. I decided to place both Riley Quinn and Charly Shepherd at a
crossroads in their lives. Something has happened to alter who they are and to force
them to rethink who they will be.
For
Riley, a physical injury drove her from the women’s golf tour. No longer a
professional athlete, she’s struggling to redefine herself, and bamboozled by
what she sees. Charly has been content growing flowers and raising children,
until her mother’s death opens a surprising longing for a spiritual reward.
Both
women are mourning. Both are probing for unfamiliar expectations. Both are perfectly
posed to beguile readers. At least, that’s my plan.
While
I’m considering what’s special and unforgettable about my fake folks, I want to
ensure that readers really love them, even if they are as irascible (easily angered) as Nero
Wolf or as single-minded as D.S. Jane Tennison. Everyone has a soft or funny or
intriguing side to their personality. Rex Stout's brilliant detective is an
orchid-growing gastronome and the star of Prime Suspect is constantly
challenging the Old Boys' Club.
I
dig characters with unexpected traits, like how my headstrong, confident Riley
Quinn falters when faced with a fancy social occasion or how my prudent, earthy
Charly Shepherd opens up to a divine yearning.
When
characters have strong inner motivations (such as a need for love, self-esteem,
confidence or security) that shape their personalities and force their actions,
we immediately connect emotionally with their hopes and struggles and root for
them. That’s why we applaud Scarlett’s indomitable spirit, admire Poirot’s
thirst for the truth, and empathize with Lisbeth’s taste for revenge.
These captivating fundamental needs, quirks
and vulnerabilities make us human and when adroitly applied in creative writing,
result in imaginary individuals that stalk off the page and into your heart.
-------------------------
Author
Bio
Nicola pens mystery and inspirational
novels, creates interactive books for the iPad, podcasts about genre writing
(The Novel Experience), and teaches electronic publishing, when she's not
playing Old-Timer’s hockey, growing blossoms and bamboo or eating chocolate
fudge.
Her first contemporary women's series, the
Sisterhood of Shepherds, debuted with HEARTSONG in May 2014
(MantleRockPublishing). Nicola's swinging whodunit, TEED OFF! (republished in
February 2014 by OakTreePress), features professional golfer and coroner Riley
Quinn.
.
Her other novels include a psychological
thriller (A HEMORRHAGING OF SOULS), six novels in The Church Choir Mysteries
series and a multimedia online thriller, UNNATURALSTATES.
In addition, she has published three
ebooks, YOUDUNIT WHODUNIT! HOW TO WRITE MYSTERIES, SELF-PUBLISH YOUR E-BOOK IN
MINUTES! and TOP TEN GARDENING TIPS, as well as her first musical interactive
children's book for the iPad, SAVING GRAPE-JELLY CHEEKS.
Nicola lives in a small seaside town on
southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. For more information, please visit
http://www.nicolafurlong.com or
http://www.pinterest.com/novelnicola
She also produces kickass book trailers as
Quillrbiz:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=quillrbiz&aq=f
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