Blog Series: Creating Memorable Characters Part I

Robin Miller begins her characterization process with a 7-section outline, which will be presented in this post, for each main character. After covering the basics in her outline, she goes into depth in her character development. Future posts in this series will cover more of Robin’s process and include characterization tips from other sources, too. You can use whatever wordprocessing, spreadsheet, or desktop publishing program you prefer to design your own character profile worksheet using Robin’s suggestions and adding your own ideas.

As you fill in these blanks, thoughts of how various characteristics can be used in your story may pop into your mind. Jot those ideas down in your writer’s notebook and then keep them together with your character’s profile, once you complete it.

Section 1 consists of the character’s physical description:

birthday/age
height
weight
color/style of hair
eye color;
scars/body markings, etc.

Section 2 delves a bit deeper and is titled “Personal traits & characteristics.” Keep your character profile worksheet handy, as these characteristics can come into play when you begin plotting the story. In this section, she includes:

Sense of humor & type
Basic nature
Ambitions
Philosophy of life
Hobbies (can be used as special skills the character may need in the story)
Music/Reading preferred
Style of dress
Favorite colors
Strongest character trait
Weakest character trait

Section 3 explores the character’s background, kind of a “character resume”:

Educational background
Current occupation
Work experience

Section 4 is where Robin lists her character’s personal possessions:

Description of home
Vehicles
Special belongings

Section 5 digs deeper, looking at plot complications:

Present problem
How it will get worse
Deepest fear
Goal
Motivation
Conflict
How the character will change (often referred to as “character arc”)

Section 6 introduces your character’s relationships:

Parents
Siblings and/or children
Best Friend
Significant Other
Enemies (and why)
Pets

Section 7 gets specific in a few more areas:

Habits
Likes
Dislikes
Annoying traits
Sees self as…
Seen by other as…

Guest Blogger: Louise M. Gouge

Please welcome today’s guest, Louise Gouge! Although Louise is well known for her Ahab’s Legacy series, her newest book, THEN CAME FAITH, recently earned the Reviewer’s Choice Award from The Road to Romance and HANNAH ROSE, another of Louise’s novels, won the 2006 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest for a Long Historical Novel.

Leave a comment by MIDNIGHT on Saturday, Aug. 4, to enter a drawing for a FREE copy of Louise’s new book: Then Came Hope. Drawing will be held on Sunday–so HURRY!

I like to say I’ve always lived in the Land of Pretend because stories have been going through my head since I was eight or nine years old. But other than school assignments, I didn’t begin writing in earnest until 1984, when my children were in middle and high school. After completing my first novel, I went back to college to see if I’d done it right and ended up earning my bachelor’s degree in English/Creative Writing. After that, I attended writers’ conferences to see what else I could learn. As a result, my first two short romances were published in the 1990s.

But I wanted to expand my world view and write stories of deeper human conflict, so I returned to college and earned a master of liberal studies degree in 1999. My master’s thesis was Ahab’s Bride, which was published in 2004 by RiverOak/Cook Communications, followed by the sequels, Hannah Rose (2005, multi-award winner) and Son of Perdition (2006).

I really hated to leave my characters behind at the end of the series. As it turned out, I didn’t have to. Three of the minor male characters in Son of Perdition had “spoken” to me about having their own books because each of these men had their own reasons for fighting in the war, and they wanted me to tell everyone about those reasons. So I proposed my post-Civil War series, and Emerald Pointe Books bought it.

The first book, Then Came Faith (2006), which recently won the Road to Romance Reviewer’s Choice Award, tells the story of Andre Beauchamp, an officer in the defeated Confederate navy. Andre is filled with bitterness that his way of life has been destroyed by the Yankees. So when he meets a young woman who is not only a Yankee but an ardent abolitionist, he feels conflicted over the strong attraction he feels for her. Likewise, Juliana Harris abhors everything Andre holds dear about the pre-war South. I enjoyed writing this story because of the deeply engrained conflict between the hero and heroine. My goal was to show how God could work in the lives of two very different people and bring them together for His purpose.

The second book, Then Came Hope (June 2007), tells the story of Ezra Johns, a Harvard educated Negro man from Boston who volunteered to fight in the first black Union regiment, the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Negro Regiment. In Ezra’s case, he had a great deal to prove because the prevailing view of the day was that Negro men would not make good soldiers or good fighters. Ezra and his real-life counterparts put an end to such uninformed speculation. If not for their courageous service all over the South, the Union might not have been preserved. It is my goal to honor their remarkable legacy. For my heroine in Then Came Hope, I created Delia, a young slave girl who has finally found the courage to run away from her cruel mistress, who tries to hold her in bondage in spite of the Emancipation Proclamation and the war’s end. Alone and frightened in the forest, Delia meets up with a small band of former slaves and Ezra, the handsome soldier. Delia has been badly abused, and only through the kindness and support of her new friends does she come to realize her worth in the eyes of God and the man she loves.

The third story, Then Came Love, will be about another northerner who fights in the Union army. More about this book at a later date!

If you would like more information about my books, please visit my website at www.Louisemgouge.com.

Walking: A Health Hazard?

After weeks of an ongoing discussion about my weight with our dog, (”How big do you think Mommy’s going to get before she pops?”), my hubby devised a different tactic to steer me toward weightloss: he cut a walking path through our property.

Excited, (and knowing I have the same directional aptitude as a carpet tack), he offered to walk with me. “We BOTH could use the exercise,” he noted. (He’s right, of course. I recently celebrated a birthday and, coincidentally, my new age exactly equals the number of pounds I’ve gained OVER my “fat” weight–you know, the weight I swore I’d NEVER exceed again as long as I’m alive.) Sure. I’ll start a walking regime. The trek is a half-mile, so once in the morning and once in the evening puts me at a mile a day.

I started off with him on Morning Number One, walking stick in one hand, Dasani in the other, while “Miss I’m Too Cute and Adorable to Potty Outside” darted back and forth chasing butterflies and sniffing the scent residue from whatever critter lurked across our lawn during the night.

Why the walking stick? No, I’m not (yet) old and decrepit. But Arkansas mornings are not only filled with chirping birds and fluttering butterflies–spider webs loom between every tree. And we live in the woods. I’m not particularly afraid of spiders or snakes, but I detest walking through webs. Yuck! Thus the stick–to slap down webs while I walk.

So, we’re off. And sure enough, within minutes a web crossed our path. I raised my stick and gave it a good sideways swing and, with one Freudian slip of the stick, WHACK! It came down across the back of hubby’s neck. Oops! (I promise it had NOTHING to do with the Mommy Popping remark.)

Proof that walking is hazardous to your (spouse’s) health.

(Sorry, Sweetheart!)

Blog Series: Characterization (Introduction)

Many have asked, “Which comes first–the characters or the plot?” When I wrote my first novel (before I had any clue or training in novel-writing), I started with setting. It was a travel journal of sorts and I began by outlining each location the characters would visit along their route. Then I chose some sort of mishap or problem that would occur at each place. Finally, I added some people to my notes and wrote the book. The problem with this approach was, I could have placed anyone in those roles and the story wouldn’t have changed. My characters were plain vanilla, b-flat, run-of-the-mill, ordinary folks. B-O-R-I-N-G.

I took that same story and did some character work, developed them into spring-from-the-page, realistic people with goals, quirks, conflicts, faults, and frustrations. The story took shape, became interesting. And recently, it finaled in a contest. In fact, one judge commented, “If this piece doesn’t win first place, I’ll be surprised.” So, my take (and the belief of many other novelists) is that the answer to the chicken/egg, character/plot question is this: Character IS plot. Fully develop your characters and your plot will be developed, too.

Our local writers’ group, Arkansas Inspy Writers, met recently and were blessed to have Robin Miller, president of American Christian Fiction Writers, conduct a workshop on characterization. She explained that once she’s done with her character work, she doesn’t even have to “write” a synopsis–she simply cuts & pastes from her character worksheets into a new document and viola! her synopsis is done. This shows that plot and characterization are inseparable.

So, the big question is–how does one fully develop characters? Excellent question! And one Fiction Fundamentals intends to answer through this blog series with the help of Robin Miller, who has graciously allowed me to use notes from her workshop and present that information here. Each Monday and Friday (beginning July 23), I’ll post a segment from the characterization workshop until we’ve brought our characters to life. (Sounds Frankensteinish!)

Please be sure to visit Fiction Fundamentals and contribute your comments so we can all learn together. And be sure to tell Robin thanks!

Guest Blogger: Marlo Schalesky

Please welcome today’s guest: Marlo Schalesky!

Marlo is the author of five books, including Veil of Fire; a novel about finding hope in the fires of life, Empty Womb, Aching Heart: Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility; Only the Wind Remembers; and Cry Freedom & Freedom’s Shadow. She’s had over 500 articles published in various Christian magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman, Decision, Moody Magazine, and Discipleship Journal. She has contributed to Dr. Dobson’s Night Life Devotional for Couples, Tyndale’s Book of Decisions for Kids #3, and Discipleship Journal’s 101 Small Group Ideas. She is a speaker and a regular columnist for Power for Living.

Marlon is also a California native, a small business owner, and a graduate of Stanford University (with a B.S. in Chemistry). She has recently earned her Masters in Theology, with an emphasis in Biblical Studies, from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Marlo lives with her husband and four young daughters (ages 7, 4, and twins at almost-2) in a log home in Salinas, California.

When not changing diapers, doing laundry, or writing books, Marlo loves to drink Starbuck’s white mochas, read the New Testament in Greek, and speak to groups about finding the deep places of God in the disappointments of life.

Writing with Fire

Linda, thanks so much for allowing me to share with your blog readers a little about Writing with FIRE. You see, my latest novel, VEIL OF FIRE, deals with the one of the greatest firestorms of American history – the great fire of 1894 Minnesota.

A Bit About Veil of Fire, the story, the mystery, the novel . . .

A Raging Firestorm . . .

A Light in the Hills . . .

And a Mystery Rises from the Ash.

In 1894, the worst firestorm in Minnesota history descends on the town of Hinckley. Heat, flame, and darkness sweep through the town, devouring lives, destroying hope. In the aftermath, the town rises from the ashes, its people determined to rebuild their lives.

But in the shadows, someone is watching. Someone is waiting. Someone who knows the secrets that can free them all. A rumor begins of a hermit in the hills – a person severely burned, disfigured beyond recognition. Doubts rise. Fear whispers. Is the hermit a monster or a memory? An enemy or a love once-lost?

Based on historical events, Veil of Fire beckons to a time when hope rose from the smoke of sacrifice, when trust hid behind a veil of fear, when dreams were robed in a mantle of fire . . .

So for me in writing this book was very much an experience of discovering fire as a character with a life, a beauty, and a terror of its own. I discovered how fire can change you, can scar and maim, but in the end, may just make you new. And so, writing with fire is much like writing with God, unpredictable, powerful, but wondrous as well.

A Bit About Learning Through Writing With Fire . . .

In fact, writing this story with fire taught me much about my life with God. For me, the firestorms of my life have come in the form of infertility and miscarriage. Through those fires and through writing Veil of Fire, God has shown me that I cannot measure his love by my successes and failures, or even by my happiness. Who I am on the inside, how I am being shaped into the likeness of Christ, the character of my life – the color and beauty of it – are what are important to God. And to create that color and beauty, sorrow is necessary. Hurtful things happen. Fires rage.

So, I’m starting to understand that my life, too, is a story that God is writing. And since the best stories have conflict, disappointments, and plenty of action, I shouldn’t be surprised when my life takes a turn and my faith is challenged once again.

And yet, my sorrow matters to God, my tears are counted by him as precious. He does not leave me alone in my hurt. He does not abandon me in the fire. He touches me, he heals me, he creates beauty from the ashes of my pain.

So I’m learning to walk through the fires in my own life. And to dig deeper – not to answer the question of why but the question of who – who is God really, who am I, and who is he making me to be? Those are the questions that matter. Those are the things that help me to face my own fires, accept my own scars.

A Bit About Researching One of the Greatest Firestorms of American History . . .

The research for Veil of Fire was amazing! Not only because of its link to my personal family history (my husband’s great-great grandmother moved to Hinckley, Minnesota, just after the great fire), but also because of the incredible first-person accounts of the fire that were written by people who were actually there. These stories are compiled into a book written entirely by survivors who recount their personal experience of living through the firestorm that swept through their town. I read about a man whose hat lifted from his head and exploded above him as he ran through wind and fire. I read about another whose horse raced beside the Eastern Minnesota train as fire billowed around him. The horse swerved into the smoke, and the man was never seen again. I read about a boy racing down the tracks, falling, and surviving as the fire roared over him. I read about fire on the surface of the Grindstone River, darkness broken only by bursts of flame, the St. Paul and Duluth engine backing up to Skunk Lake through blinding heat and smoke. I read about a train trestle disintegrating into flame moments after a train passed, about Jane Tew praying on that train, and the brakemen who saved them all.

Those eyewitness accounts, as well as information gathered about the fire from other sources, created the realistic feel of the fire and its aftermath in Veil of Fire. Plus, you can be sure that if something seems almost beyond belief in Veil of Fire, it will be drawn from an actual account that came directly from the research, so amazing were the real stories of the fire on that day!

For more information about VEIL OF FIRE, a preview of the entire first chapter, and discussion questions for groups, please visit www.marloschalesky.com. Special incentives for book groups also available at www.cookministries.com/readthis. Or to order on Amazon, visit www.amazon.com.

Adventures in Missions

Our church’s youth group spends a portion of each July working as part of a large mission effort in Rio Bravo, Mexico. Over 200 volunteers from a number of churches divide into various areas of service: Medical Clinic (includes dentistry, pharmacy, pediatrics, medical, and optometry); Bible Study; Vacation Bible School (for children); Benevolence (food & clothing); and Construction & Repair. Everyone stays at a McAllen, Texas, motel, and the groups travel back and forth across the border each day.

In 2005, our group experienced Hurricane Emily, which forced us to remain in Texas for one day. It was my first and, thankfully so far, only hurricane. I didn’t go last year, but the group was introduced to the U.S. Border Patrol. It’s a long story, but yes, my son was involved. He added the word “contraband” to his vocabulary and learned that no matter how cool butterfly knives appear to the average teenage boy, they are illegal to bring across the border. And, on their return trip, the bus’s a/c went out.

The “jinx” continued this year when 5 inches of rain doused McAllen early this morning. According to some, the deluge fell within a 30-minute time period. As one person put it, “That’s like emptying a boot on a flat rock.” Yeah. The motel lobby took on water, and a tornado touched down within blocks of where our group is staying, destroying some area businesses.

Due to the storm, the church bus was temporarily incapacitated (see pics) but is now up and running. The first reports we heard contained the following phrases:

“The front third of the bus is submerged!”

“We’re standing in knee-deep water!”

“We had to evacuate through the emergency bus exits!”

After those initial adrenaline-laced phone calls, I could hear the Titanic theme song playing in my head and envisioned the kids scrambling for their lives as the rising water filled the bus. But shortly after those panicked conversations, more details were relayed to those of us back home. Okay, it was in reality the front third of the FRONT of the bus (technicality); the knee-deep water was in the parking lot (NOT the bus); and yes, they had to use the emergency exits, but only because the front door wouldn’t open.

The group plans to resume their work with the other team members tomorrow and, Lord willing, will return back to Arkansas the end of the week.

Microsoft OneNote (reviewed by Angie Arndt)

I admit it. I’m an obsessive plotter. I like things nice, neat and above all, organized. That’s why I really enjoy using OneNote. (Click on the icon for link to 30-day free trial.) Like the Circus Ponies’ Notebook, it also acts like a real-life notebook, with sections and pages. It also interfaces with all the Microsoft Office programs, allowing you to cut-and-paste screenshots and text into Word, PowerPoint and even create to-do’s in Outlook. It’s great to open one program and have all of my research available and categorized.

Also like Notebook, there are templates available for specific types of notebooks, decorative pages, lists, etc. But I couldn’t find anything specific to writing novels. (There are some research templates.) But, it is very easy to set up your own notebooks. (See my Screenshot.)

I have a notebook for each of my works-in-progress. Within each notebook, I have a section for Characters, Setting, Storyline and Research. Each Character gets at least one page; main characters get more. This program also offers sub-pages, so I use those to show the character arc. For example, my protagonist has a Before and After sub-page to show character changes.

I’ve also created pages for each setting, chapter and any research that I’ve done. Screenshots are incredibly easy: to copy part of a screen, press the Windows key and S; to copy and entire webpage, click on Tools on the Internet Explorer menu bar and then select Send to OneNote. The program automatically launches and copies the selection or page to a new page in the Unfiled Notes section along with a hyperlink, so I can find the website again.

From the Unfiled Notes section, I just right-click on the page tab and select Move Page To. Each of my notebooks are listed on a drop-down menu, so I can move it wherever I choose. Because I’m working on a series, I may use characters or settings for more than one book. No problem, all I have to do is right-click again on the page tab, select Copy, open the next WIP’s notebook and Paste. (Click image at left to see screenshot.)

Now just because I like to have everything organized doesn’t necessarily mean that I am organized. That’s why I like OneNote’s automatic save feature. That’s right, I never have to remember to save my work. Whenever, I close the program, everything I’ve done is automatically saved. Whew! OneNote gives me one less thing to worry about!

Review by Angie Arndt, writing as P.S. McManus

Writing Tools: Notebook for Mac

You may be familiar with Microsoft Office’s OneNote, however Mac users also have access to a powerful project management tool in Circus Ponies’ Notebook. With its customizable tabs & dividers; various page formats (to-do list, word processing, outline); highlighting & sticker-tagging capabilities; multi-media compatiability (drag & drop PDFs, multi-media, or even voice record right into your page); as well as its high-powered search feature, Notebook is every writer’s dream.

The “starting point” box lists a number of ready-made project templates that you can easily adapt to fit your needs. One such choice is “Write a Book or Novel,” which automatically places several character and chapter tabs, a clipping page (more about that in a minute), and the standard set of notebook indices. Most writers have “catch phrases” we overuse. Because Notebook automatically indexes every word you input into your project, you can easily search for weak areas to rewrite.

For instance, at the Arkansas Inspy Writers group meeting held in Little Rock on July 14, ACFW president Robin Miller gave an excellent presentation on characterization. She cautioned those in attendance against using such phrases as he/she “thought, wondered, noticed, hoped, considered, etc.” during periods of character internalization, as this is “telling” rather than showing. Using Notebook’s indexing system, within seconds, writers can obtain a list of such words used in their manuscript.

Another useful tool of Notebook is the clipping page feature. While doing research in the past, I’ve printed off literally reams of paper containing notes from web sites and spent hours digging through those pages, searching for a location’s description or a quote from an historical figure. No more. Once Notebook is installed on your system, Notebook automatically shows up under your “services” list in a number of applications, including Safari. So, now I simply search until I find a resource I want to save, move my mouse over “Notebook” in my services list, and a number of “clip to” choices appear. Once I select which page to put the clipping, it’s automatically indexed along with all my other work. Easy searching.

I’ve set up a Notebook for each of my Works in Progress. I can include information for my main characters, the story’s plot outline, and even paste in what I’ve already written in a “writing” page (word processing page). Once I’ve finished my edits, I can copy and paste my work into a Word document, and viola!, it’s ready to go. And speaking of ready to go, Notebook also includes various means of sharing data, including converting the entire project to HTML format and uploading it onto the Internet.

I lucked into my copy of Notebook. My dad purchased it, thinking it was merely a way to organize his desktop icons. Without trying the product, he decided he didn’t need it and gave it to me. I should feel guilty for not giving it back, but I don’t. If he wants a copy now, he’ll have to get his own box!

If you’re a Mac user and a writer, give Circus Ponies’ Notebook 30-day trial a try. (Click on the above picture for a link to the web site.) I think you’ll be well pleased.

Near the Foothills of the Ozarks

I spent the past two days at Harding University (my alma mater) getting my son registered for college. A lot of memories came back as I walked the campus. So much has changed and grown, just like my little boy. It’s hard to believe my baby will leave the nest in just a few weeks, but today is his 18th birthday, so I suppose it’s time.

Valentin will have a busy first year. He’s chosen Biology as his major and will be in the pre-optometry program. His secondary major will be Vocational Ministry with an emphasis in Missions, which means he will take a lot of Bible classes once he completes the pre-reqs for optometry school. His goal is to become an optometrist and do mission work a few months each year.

He has chosen Spanish as his minor, and passed a test that allowed him to totally skip two semesters of Spanish. If his grades in Spanish 201 and 202 are high enough (crossing fingers), he’ll get 8 free hours credit for the year he skipped. Val’s roommate will be a young man from our church, and they’ve been great friends for several years.

Val has spent most of the summer involved with Missionaries for America and is currently on a mission trip to Rio Bravo, Mexico, with our church’s youth group. It’s been a busy summer for him, but mission work is his passion, so he’s had a great time.

I’m very proud of you, son! Happy Birthday!

Life and Death

Slipped in among a few dozen headlines on the front page of most nationwide news sites this morning is the simple sentence “S.D. carries out first execution in 60 years.” It would have been easy to miss or even ignore this piece, with so many other articles vying for my mouse click, such as the passing of Lady Bird Johnson, the discovery of a frozen baby mammoth, and a woman who nearly died from a bikini wax. (Diabetics be warned!) However, I’d been following this story ever since my husband and I fell in love with the Black Hills last month and I ran across it while daydreaming about returning to the Coyote State.

I don’t normally post about political things or current events and rarely even watch the news. I figure if it gets bad enough, someone will let me know. But this story haunted me, and I found myself reading more about it, including opinion columns as well as blogs from both friends of the accused and the deceased. In March of 2000, a trio of teenagers decided it would be fun to rob their “friend” of a Chevy Blazer and other miscellaneous items. Influenced by drugs and alcohol, at some point they feared the theft victim would rat them out, so the decision was made to kill him. They apparently had no set method of carrying out their sentence, so, while Chester Allan Poage (19) begged for his life, they hauled him to a gulch, forced him into a near-frozen stream, and proceeded to beat, stab, stone, kick, and torture him for several hours until he finally succumbed. Ironic, since the state’s governor stayed this execution last August so the legislature could deliberate the most humane method of killing one of Poage’s killers, Elijah Page (pictured).

I am not ecstatic that Elijah Page, who was 18 at the time of Poage’s attack, has joined his victim in death. Although I do believe his crime is an appropriate chapter to reopen South Dakota’s capital punishment book, which has lain dormant for six decades. Page expressed remorse for his actions, requested to die, and ceased all appeals. One of Page’s accomplices waits on death row and the third has received a sentence of life without parole. I’m not opposed to the death penalty, but to me, this entire situation is just very sad due to the ages of those involved.

Why did this story haunt me? I’m not sure. But perhaps it’s because I’m the mother of both an 18- and a 19-year-old.