 | 10 Apr 06 |
This week we are going to talk about characters, because you know, all of us at Murder She Writers are a bunch of characters…
A question I get a lot is: How do you come up with your characters?
For me, it’s a combination of process and instincts that I have developed through experience. When I say “process” I’m referring to the work of thinking up and writing down ideas, and it takes time. It doesn’t all come to me in one day. I blame that on my “instincts,” which pretty much tell me if I’m on the right track or not. Thanks to a workshop I went to given by Jenny Crusie, I used to think of my “instincts” as a bunch of girls in the basement of my mind sitting around and playing poker. Jenny gave a talk about how these girls every now and again would stop what they are doing and send up an idea. Usually the idea was out of order and context, so Jenny had to scramble to figure out how the idea worked.
That image drove me crazy. Seriously, I wanted to go down to the basement and beat the living crap out of the women until them GAVE ME EVERYTHING INSTANTLY!
So I visually changed this in my head to a bunch of really tough guys who are living up in the attic of my mind. Now when I get the urge to smack them around, I usually get distracted because these guys are HOT. And umm, kind of scary. So while I’m waiting, I just look at them.
Where was I?
Oh right, characters. So the guys in the attic are my instincts. Here’s how it works. I start thinking of ideas. Using Samantha Shaw from my series as an example, let’s say I think “What if I have a woman whose husband is dead and then she has to face up to the fact that her marriage was a sham? She changes herself, become proactive and engaged her in life. She has a couple kids…”
So far, the guys in the attic, they are sort of nodding while lifting weights. I don’t even know if they are listening.
I keep going, “I want her to be a soccer mom. Maybe have something going with the coach.”
“Boring.” One of the guys says.
I glare at him.
He ignores me.
So I stomp off to think this out. Then I realize something. “Sam hates soccer!”
The boys in the attic grunt an affirmative. Then one on them (this one looks suspiciously like Roarke from JD Robb’s books) asks, “Why does she hate soccer?”
Back to the process. So I had to go deeper and realize that when Sam did the whole soccer mom thing, she was avoiding her dead marriage. But after her husband’s death, Sam was left broke and realized she had to yank her head out of the sand and DEAL. So she does and she never wants to go back to the person she had been when she was a soccer mom—which in her mind she relates to soccer.
The guys in the attic agreed that sounded just like a female. I didn’t ask them what they meant by that remark, I just moved on. And thought, “I want Sam to run a dating service!”
“Cool.” I got that from the boys. They like that. “Sam should look hot too.”
I think that over. “But she’s a mom.”
“So? Don’t being a coward, make her stand out. Give her big knockers.”
I roll my eyes. Maybe I should go back to the girls in the basement instead of the guys in the attic. Big knockers, how sexist, how demeaning…uhh, but breast implants would be funny in a way. Especially if Sam sold her dead husband’s favorite classic car to pay for them as part of her make over.
All the men in the attic, every one of them, turned to stare at me. “That’s cold. Her husband loved that car! He adored that car!”
Ha! I think. Damn right, Sam’s husband loved that car more than her and their sons. She would sell that car and get breast implants as a symbol of her freedom! A kind of revenge on her dead husband!
The boys in the attic are muttering to themselves about scary women. I grin and leave to go work on my book.
Now kidding aside, here is where I think writers have to have courage. Characters need real qualities, including decisions that some people are not going to agree with. Not every reader will like certain things about our characters—get over it. There was a lot of talk about Sam and her breast implants. People got snarky, others cracked up, and some bought the book out of simple curiosity. But I went with what I thought would work for Sam. Some called her a bimbo; some thanked me for making her an attractive mom in her thirties. The point is—people were talking! And that’s what we want our characters to do, get people talking and creating a “buzz” about our books. It takes courage; it takes a willingness to live with the criticism. But I’d rather have someone bash my character for an action like breast implants, than say she or he was boring. No one rushes out to buy a boring book.
Look at JK Rowlings. She made Harry Potter a wizard, and all the brouhaha about whether or not the books promoted evil, and witch craft etc. THAT SOLD BOOKS! My mom bought the books to see what the big deal was about. She fell in love with them and nagged me until I read them. I didn’t think I’d be interested, but I was hooked. All because JK Rowlings wrote her story with her character true to her vision. She didn’t let certain people or groups’ opinions edit her characters. She went for it.
That’s what I think we all should do. Oh, and get some hot guys in your mind’s attic. When all else fails, you can watch them work out.
A question for you all: Have you ever bought a book based on buzz about a character?
Award winning author, Jennifer Lyon, always wanted to be a witch. Since her witch-powers never materialized, she went onto Plan B and now she creates magic in her books. In her new series, the author of the acclaimed Samantha Shaw Mystery Series (written as Jennifer Apodaca) introduces the Witch Hunters, legendary men who must overcome a curse to team up with witches and fight evil.
Subscribe to Posts 
Absolutely. The first comes to mind is Stephanie Plum. My mom had been reading this series by Janet Evanovich. There were three out at the time. I picked it up off her bookshelf. By the covers, I wasn’t sure I’d like them. My mom said, “You’ll like this. Her character is funny. They’re good.” So I borrowed those three books and have been a Stephanie Plum addict ever since.
by Allison April 10th, 2006 at 5:50 amI’m a big library patron (I’m also a big book buyer). I read my first Harry Potter book because of all the buzz, and I loved it. I did the same with a couple others that I didn’t love–which is why I like to get the first one at the library.
by Edie Ramer April 10th, 2006 at 5:57 amI had to be pushed into reading both Janet Evanovich and Michael Connelly. Can you believe it? I didn’t want to read about New Jersey, and at the time I thought “police procedural” was a dirty word. Er, two dirty words. But both those characters are indelible.
I don’t have a basement. My boys are in a boiler room. They shovel a lot of…well, stuff, and sometimes it’s not so fragrant. They’re hot and sweaty and have big muscles.
BTW, Jen, this blog entry of yours was a beautiful piece of writing. I really like dose guys.
by J. Carson Black April 10th, 2006 at 6:12 amThe people in my head decide and then they tell me, if it’s a book that’s plot-driven.
What I prefer is for the character to turn up and for me to have to figure out a plot–it’s easier, speaking as a pantzer. I just write and I pray it’ll somehow come together.
I have The People I Am, as they are labelled in my blog. LOL.
by May April 10th, 2006 at 6:44 amAllison, my mom gave me Stephanie Plum too! I laughed so hard when I read ONE FOR THE MONEY. I haven’t read her last couple books, so I’m behind…again.
Edie, a lot of my fans first picked up my book at the library. It makes sense, especially in hard backs. I’m much more willing to risk six or seven bucks on an author rather than twenty or twenty-five bucks!
Hey Jake! It looks like a lot of people had to be pushed into reading Evanovich! I’m not sure how easily Connelly developed his following, but I know Evanovich didn’t “hit” until about the 3rd or 4th book. And thanks for the compliment! What a nice way to start a Monday
May, I like your “The People I Am” label. Isn’t it amazing how everyone has a different process?
by Jen April 10th, 2006 at 7:06 amI don’t know that I have ever read a book based on hype. I picked up Evanovich (just last year) because I needed a book for the plane. I’ve read four since, and look forward to the rest unfortunately they aren’t all available in my little burg. Recently I’ve chosen books based on the blogs I visit each morning, or my writing list.
by Cele April 10th, 2006 at 7:22 amHi Cele, blogs are the latest form of “word of mouth” I think. I’ve found some good books on recommendations from blogs. I can totally relate to your problem of getting books in your area!
by Jen April 10th, 2006 at 8:42 amHmm… I didn’t answer that question, it seems.
But I have read a lot of books because of buzz. I’m a blogger myself, as well as a blog reader–should be writing now, for example, LOL.
JR Ward is one of the more recent examples. Patricia Briggs. Scott Westerfeld. Marjorie M. Liu is on my TBR pile. Justine Musk (she is really really really good if you like urban fantasy).
by May April 10th, 2006 at 9:26 amAnswer to your question is yes, Jen. I’d read a review on Brenda Joyce’s THE CONQUEROR, depicting Stephen de Warren as a big, bad, and oh so lusty alpha. I had to see for myself. Loved him, although I thought the heroine was tstl a few times, BUT! I’m a huge fan of Joyce’s now.
by Karin April 10th, 2006 at 10:09 pmMay, I don’t know if I like Urban Fantasy, I’ll have to give it a try!
Karin, I’m trying to remember if I’ve read Brenda Joyce. It’s a sad sign of mental decline when I can’t remember!
by Jen April 11th, 2006 at 7:07 amGrrr, it was Ralph not Stephen, the son was in the second book, Rose something. I’m loosing it. I’ll dig up the books and send them to you, Jen.
by Karin April 11th, 2006 at 11:28 amI have read A LOT of books that came as recommendations. Harry Potter for one, love them and am anxiously awaiting the seventh book. Janet Evanovich I stumbled across at Waldenbooks while my nine year old shopped for something new to read. Jennifer Crusie was recommend to me by a co-worker. I read Fast Women first and liked it so much I checked out everything I could find and then bought what I liked best. I Jennifer Apodaca was recommened to me by writerspace.com and J.R. Ward was recommended by Jennifer Apodaca. I think if I didn’t read the recommendations that I received I would be missing out on a lot of great stuff.
by Erika April 25th, 2006 at 9:30 am[...] Just about the time I’m thinking this, guess who wakes up? The guys in the attic…the men who “help” me plot my books. They are in the weight room in my mind again, pumping iron. Shirtless. And they start talking amongst themselves about Jeannie. I hear “She’s Hot” a lot. Let me tell you, if these guys didn’t look so good lifting weights, I’d have the attic fumigated. [...]
by Murder She Writes May 2nd, 2006 at 7:20 am