Memorable Characters by Gail Pallotta

Today's post from author Gail Pallotta spoke to me and had me brainstorming ways in which I could make the characters in my current project more memorable to the reader. -- Sandy

Gail: Does writing fuel the imagination, or does the imagination fuel writing?

Either way, there’s so much to create, especially in fiction. The plot, characters and setting, not to mention the hooks and raising the stakes. 

Fascinating characters breathe life into fiction. Who could forget Columbo in his baggy coat standing beside his near-wreck of a car? Or Superman, James Bond and the feisty Scarlet O’Hara. The list could go on and on. We probably all have our favorites.

More than likely there are as many different ways to create memorable characters as there are writers. Quirky habits, body language, dialogue, actions and even clothing can turn the words on the page into people we remember. A character’s emotions can add another dimension to a personality.

When one’s happy, his or her lips turn up on the corners; sad, the lips go down. Writers often use metaphors and similes to demonstrate the way a character feels inside. In a novel about a circus, a sad clown’s face might resemble rubber pulled down. Someone unhappy in that book could have tears the size of large ones drawn on the clown’s cheeks. Later in the story a happy girl or guy might flash a grin as big as one painted on a different clown’s face.

Courtesy of Photobucket – Sarge

Or perhaps a writer’s working on a young adult novel, and an overjoyed teen girl jumps up and down and claps her hands like a cheerleader. Could a disappointed young man’s countenance resemble that of a football player who dropped a pass in the end zone?

Animal expressions show emotions too. Often I read that someone looks like a lost puppy. It works on me every time. There are plenty of others, such as having someone grin as big as a horse showing its teeth. Another person may peer at something with raccoon eyes.

What do you like to use to illustrate your characters’ emotions? Also, do you think writing fuels the imagination or vice versa? 

~~~~~

Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach Stopped Cold, finished fourth in the 16th Annual Preditors and Editors readers’ poll and was a finalist for the 2013 Grace Awards. She’s published short stories in “Splickety” magazine and Sweet Freedom with a Slice of Peach Cobbler. Some of her published articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. Visit her web site at http://www.gailpallotta.com

sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A former regional writer of the year for American Christian Writers Association, she won Clash of the Titles in 2010. Her teen book,

Blog - http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorsandMore

Twitter - Gail Pallotta @Hopefulwords

Giving Our Characters Our Hobbies by Patricia Bradley

After I read Shadows of the Past and learned that the author's hobby was pottery, I asked Patricia Bradley to share about adding personal hobbies to our stories. -- Sandy

Patricia: He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer. Exodus 35:35 ESV

Thirteen years ago I had a character for a book, but I didn’t want her to have the same old-same old occupation. When I closed my eyes and brought her to mind, I saw her sitting at a potter’s wheel, outside under a spreading Oak. Occasionally, she would look up from her work and gaze in the distance. That was in January 2001.

I loved it! But there was a problem. I didn’t have the first clue how to use a wheel or clay. In fact when I was in the seventh grade my art teacher brought her wheel to class one day. After I had my try, she shook her head and said, “You’ll never be a potter. Get up and let someone else try.”

In May of 2001, I went to a Women’s Conference and one of the sessions featured a potter. After an awesome presentation, I asked where she learned to use a wheel, and she gave me the name of her instructor. I called him and signed up. And became this great potter.

No. The instructor did say he’d never seen a person so determined to learn how to throw on a wheel. That’s the way potters talk about working on the wheel. Throwing. You see, you take a ball of clay and throw it on the wheel then try to keep it there while the wheel is spinning 90 to nothing.

*Sigh*

But I was determined. I bought a wheel, clay, even a kiln. And sat down and practiced. And practiced. Remember the throwing bit? I occasionally threw the clay…out the door. But I kept at it. I think that’s the secret whether it’s writing or pottery or anything you want to get good at. About that time, I began working in the abstinence program in Mississippi, and I used the wheel and clay to show how to build a good foundation for your life and how to reclaim your character when you didn’t build that foundation.

It was seven years before I wrote the book that had a potter in it. In that time, I became quite accomplished at making vases, bowls, and mugs. I even began fashioning jewelry from my porcelain clay. While I don’t have time right now to play in the mud, I am itching to get back to it. But first, I have a third book in the Logan Point series to write. And guess what? My subplot character is a potter…creating beautiful things on the wheel is how she regains sight of who God created her to be.

Have you had an experience similar to Patricia's? Has your character inspired a personal hobby or have you given your hobby to a character?

~~~ 

Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi and is a former abstinence educator and co-author of RISE To Your Dreams, an abstinence curriculum. But her heart is tuned to suspense. Patricia’s mini-mysteries have been published in Woman’s World, and her debut novel, Shadows of the Past, is the first of three set in Mississippi and will release February 4, 2014. She presents workshops, her most recent is Writing 50,000 words in 30 days, at the Midsouth Christian Writer’s Conference in Collierville, TN on March 8, 2014. Her tag line on everything is: I asked God to teach me patience and He gave me a book to write. And when she’s not writing, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.

Back cover copy:

Psychology professor and criminal profiler Taylor Martin prides herself on being able to solve any

crime, except the one she wants most desperately to solve—the disappearance of her father twenty years ago. When she finally has a lead on his whereabouts, Taylor returns home to Logan Point, Mississippi, to investigate. But as she is stalking the truth about the past, someone is stalking her.

Nick Sinclair pens mystery novels for a living, but the biggest mystery to him is how he can ever get over the death of his wife—a tragedy he believes he could have prevented. With his estranged brother the only family he has left, Nick sets out to find him. But when he crosses paths with Taylor, all he seems to find is trouble.

Connect with Patricia Bradley at:

www.patriciabradleyauthor.com
www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor
https://twitter.com/PTBradley1

Links to buy book:

Available at CBD: http://ow.ly/qIx2k and Amazon: http://ow.ly/qIx90 and B&N:

http://ow.ly/qKdSL 

Archetypes for Your Hero by Marji Laine

Author Marji Laine did a number of posts on her blog explaining the archetypes of heroes and heroines. I loved her analysis of the different types and her comparison to various book and movie characters. Today, she's sharing an overview of these types of heroes. On November 20, Marji will be back, giving equal opportunity to heroines.--Sandy

Marji: Crafting great heroes is essential to a story. Many best-selling authors would argue that the plot begins within the depths of the main character.

The book The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden helps with this task. Discovering the archetypes of the main characters means being able to anticipate how they should react to their circumstances.

Here are the 16 types, loosely connected to Hippocrates temperaments and Carl Jung’s personality categories.

•       Chief is the boss. (Hippocrates=Choleric, Jung=Executive) Will do whatever necessary to succeed. Viewed as tactless and cold. Believes the end justifies the means. Thrives on conflict. Think Joe Fox in “You’ve Got Mail,” Yul Brenner’s character in “The King and I,” or Nick Fury in “The Avengers.”
•          Warrior is confident. (Hippocrates=Choleric/Sanguine, Jung=Protector) Will also do whatever necessary, but success is more altruistic. He doesn’t flinch from conflict, nor will he fail. Think “Captain America,” Atticus Finch in “To Kill A Mockingbird,” or the Scarlet Pimpernell.
•        Professor is the expert. (Hippocrates=Melancholy/Choleric, Jung=Scientist) Focused and oblivious to everything outside his task, he avoids interaction with people, but will work long hours to accomplish his goals. Think Sherlock Holmes, Columbo, and Mr. Spock from Star Trek.
•         Bad Boy is a drifter. (Hippocrates=Sanguine/Choleric, Jung=Mechanic) He has trust issues and prefers to work alone. He appears to care little about anything, and loves to break rules. Think Danny Zuko from “Grease,” Ren McCormick from “Footloose,” and Huckleberry Finn.
•         Lost Soul has a creative mind. (Hippocrates=Melancholy/Phlegmatic, Jung=Artist) He cares about everything, though detaches from the life around him. He searches for healing, for forgiveness, for something to make him feel. Think Charlie Brown, Patrick Swayze’s character in “Dirty Dancing,” and the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast.”
•       Best Friend is laid-back and easy going. (Hippocrates=Phlegmatic/melancholy, Jung=Duty Filler) He is people-oriented but has trouble making decisions and doesn’t like center stage. Steady and dependable, he can vary from a hard-working style to a lazy style, depending on the character. Think George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Sheriff Andy Taylor, and Frasier.
•         Charmer is a salesman. (Hippocrates=Sanguine, Jung=Performer) All talk, little substance, and skilled at manipulation. Cares nothing about people, but will follow rules, pushing them to their limits. Think the Music Man, Maverick, Ferris Beuller, and James Bond.
•         Swashbuckler loves action. (Hippocrates=Sanguine/Choleric, Jung=Doer) Extreme-sports enthusiast, he’s in it for the ride. Low commitment levels. High involvement. Cares little for people, but loves an adrenaline rush. Think Indiana Jones, Peter Pan, Tom Cruise’s character in “Top Gun,” and Iron Man.

That’s the list. Your hero will probably fit perfectly into one of these molds. If he fits into two, he should at least share the Hippocrates temperaments. No character should have more than two of these temperaments at any time during the story. A character arch can change an archetype and often does, but only once during a story.

      Do you use an archetype like this when planning your heroes? Do you have other "types" you can add to the list? Does it make plotting your hero's reactions easier?

Marji is a homeschooling mom of 4 with the oldest a graduate of UT Dallas. She spends her days transporting to and from volleyball, teaching writing classes at a local coop, and directing the children’s music program at her church. Her first publishing credit, a collaborative novella, The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt, soared to Amazon's best-selling list and a second, A Ruby Christmas, is due out in December. She hosts the Faith~Driven Fiction Blog.