Characters by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

A good character can make or break a book. Like most authors, I love to read – voraciously. A lot of the time how well I like the book depends on the characters. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the other elements of a novel aren’t important, but a great plot with a dud or creep for a character just doesn’t do it for me. I’m sure the same is true for you.

Obviously we all want our story people to be memorable. So what do we need to imbibe our characters with to make people fall in love with them? Or hate them? Hey, like it or not some fictional folks stick with us because of how wickedly awful they are. Can anyone say Norman Bates? But I’m digressing here.

Years ago I read a book where the hero had helped out a restaurant owner with a loan. The owner kept the hero’s name on a special list, always had a table for him. That hero fell in love and at one point in the book he treats the heroine atrociously, accuses her of betraying him when everyone knows she’d never do such a thing. With no place to turn she goes to the restaurant and collapses. The owner tells the hero he’s off the list. It’s probably been twenty-five years since I first read that book. I still have it on my shelf and from time to time that story pops into my mind.

Why? Because of how wickedly cruel the hero treated her.

There are other reasons, good reasons, characters take up residence in our minds: fierce loyalty, quirkiness, animal lover, unusual hobbies/careers, and gentleness.

I can think of favorite books to cover all those traits. Needless to say, many of those books were written by favorite authors. Top selling authors. Two good reasons to pay close attention to the characters in your novels.

So, let’s have a mini-brainstorming session. Leave a comment and tell me who your favorite character is and why. Keep in mind, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the hero or heroine. I have a book where I absolutely love my villain – and he is bad to the bone.

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Misty Winslow is determined to find her prince, and she meets the man of her dreams through an Internet dating service. Or is he, because the new dentist in town also sets her heart aflutter.

It's love at first sight for Tyler Davenport, but before he can finish his first root canal, Misty is involved in an exclusive online romance with Wes99—Tyler’s online persona. How can he tell her he’s the man she’s been waiting to meet, and how rational is it for him to be jealous of Wes99! Soon Tyler's pulling out all the stops to woo Misty.

As Christmas approaches, Wes99 and Tyler both ask her to meet them under the mistletoe. Which man will she choose?

Terri is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing in the hand bell choir. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction.

She lives with her family in Oklahoma. Terri has three dogs – a lovable mutt and two adorable Westies.

Terri is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. Her dream of becoming a published novelist came true in November 2013 when Mistletoe Magic, released from White Rose Publishing. To learn more about Terri visit her website at www.TerriWeldon.com.

Two Aids in Creating Memorable Characters by James R. Callan

Happy Monday! Did you spend any time reading this weekend? Hi everyone, Annette here. I just finished reading a memorable historical, full of vivid characters. Today's guest is here to help with one element of creating memorable characters, an element that helps readers picture these fictional people. Read on!

Two Aids in Creating Memorable Characters

by James R. Callan

Earlier in 2013, my book on character development, Character: The Heart of the Novel, was published by Oak Tree Press. The main theme of the book was: Create memorable characters. Here are two ways to help in the endeavor:

If you’re writing fiction, you need to use metaphors and similes. Why? Because you need to develop characters that your readers long to tell their friends about. “You’ve got to read this book. You’ll (love, hate, laugh at, cry about, want to marry, want to kill—pick one) this character, (supply name here).”

So, what do I mean by metaphors and similes in fiction?

“John had big ears.” That’s not going to make John memorable. “John had large ears.” Nope. No better. “John had huge ears.” A tiny bit better. “John’s ears looked like weather balloons attached to his head.” That’s a simile—comparing two dissimilar items, such as comparing ears to weather balloons, and using the word “like” or “as.” Which description are you going to remember? Sure, it’s a gross exaggeration, but it gets the idea across and in a memorable way.

“Wally’s hand was a catcher’s mitt.” That is a metaphor—the comparison of two things that are in general not alike, without using “like” or “as.” The reader knows this guy didn’t really have a catcher’s mitt for a hand. But the reader knows very clearly, this guy had big hands, exceptionally big hands. Your reader will remember that feature about him. You, the author, can use that fact later in the book to good advantage. And guess what? The reader will remember.

“Her eyes were like sapphires cut to catch the light and sparkle.” Simile. (Her eyes were like…) “His eyes were lasers, the kind that cut through steel.” Metaphor. (His eyes were …) “He was only five feet tall, but his feet were as big as a seven foot giant’s.” Simile.

Can you overdo the use of metaphor and simile? You most certainly can. They should be like the habañera: not used on everything, and not used too much. (Simile.)

Remember, one of your goals is to develop memorable characters. Similes and metaphors can help make a character memorable.

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About the author:

After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing.  He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years, and published several non-fiction books.  He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense, with his fifth book released in 2013.

About the book:

CHARACTER: The Heartbeat of the Novel.  A guide to Character Development. Learn How To... Sculpt your major characters, Create the bio, Develop motivation and conflict, Maximize The Fourth Dimension (The character Arc), Write effective Dialog  ...and MORE!