Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Creating Believable Characters

Rebecca Tran

Many authors love to tease their friends saying "be careful, or you'll end up in my novel" while true this isn't always a bad thing. I have friends begging to be warriors, mages, or even a villain in my books. They want to know what kind of character I'd make them. I have an ex-roommate who is an elf, a friend who is a pathologist, and another who is a detective. 
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As authors, we are always told to write what we know. Why? Because it makes our work more realistic and well rounded. Writing characters shouldn't be any different. They should be based on characteristics we see in people every day.
The easiest way to begin writing a hero or villain is to think of the person who fits that character the most. Then you write that person. Try to imagine how that person would react in whatever situation your hero/villain finds him or herself in. This application will not only help you develop your character and storyline but dialogue as well. For instance, if your model was trying to convince the townspeople to fight for themselves how would they do it? What would they say? It's not something they would probably ever do but for creative minds its easy enough to imagine mannerisms, speech patterns, and probable courses of actions. 

When I was writing my first book, I always placed myself in the role of the heroine. It's a bit cliche' I know although I was writing my way through a tough time and it was very therapeutic. Any time my heroine was placed in a tough situation I tried to imagine what I would do if I were her. Alternatively, she had just as tough of a relationship with her mother as I did. All of her interactions with her were based on my own relationship with my mother at the time. Using these real-life experiences made it easier to make an imaginary character real. I could see them interacting and hear their voices rather than reading static words on a page. 

In the early stages of your character development, the devil is in the details. Each character needs their own personality. Again this is where having a person to model them after comes in handy. Think about one person you know. Do they have something unique that they do? Is it a specific speech pattern, word, phrase, tick, or habit? If they do use it. Those idiosyncrasies make characters believable as long as they aren't overdone. One or two of my characters rub the back of their neck when nervous while others fidget with their hair. One of my women has a huge attitude, and another is a sex fiend. Each trait is unique to the character's personality. 

As your writing progresses, you should be able to draw on multiple sources to make new people. Although, you as the author must know the whole character before you can fully flesh them out for the reader. What makes them happy, sad, or angry? Why are they in your story and what are those character traits? Whatever you decide, be consistent. 

Some authors have the bare bones minimum on characters while others could write a book on each one. I personally tend to lean towards more information on my characters than the reader will ever know. It's not necessary, I just have a wild imagination, and my people tend to talk to me after a while. I learn more about them than I ever wanted to.
Using these basic techniques should help new and even seasoned writers develop more believable characters. Next post,  February 23rd, I’ll cover ways to build your imaginary world. 



I am a blogger and author of fantasy and romance novels. I have two small children and a Boston Terrier. I love all things sci-fi and fantasy. Comic books and anime are always welcome in my house, and a woman as The Doctor is okay by me. If you are interested in my books or my blog, you can find it here.

COMMENTS

Erika M Szabo via Google+

2 days ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Rebecca writes about how "Characters should be based on characteristics we see in people every day." at #OurAuthorGang
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Erika M Szabo

2 days ago  -  Shared publicly
 
"Using real-life experiences made it easier to make an imaginary character real." So true Rebecca! Most of my characters are a mix of 2-3 people I know or knew :)
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Joe Bonadonna

1 day ago  -  Shared publicly
 
You got me  right where I live, Rebecca. The thing I strive for and work the hardest at, and what keeps me reading an author's books are the characters. They have to be believable. I have to love the good guys and hate the bad guys. I want to understand them, to cheer for them, feel sorry for them, experience their thoughts and emotions. Good job!
 
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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

1 day ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today on #OurAuthorGang, fantasy author Rebecca Tran​ talks about one of my favorite subjects: creating believable characters.
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

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Rebecca Tran shares the (true) joke about writing people into our stories and how observing real life helps build believable characters.

Of course, when we're done, they're our own creations. Stop by #OurAuthorGang and share your observations!
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Ruth de Jauregui

1 day ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I completely agree! Real life helps us build believable characters. On the flip side, sometimes life is stranger than fiction!! Great post Rebecca!!
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Rebecca Tran via Google+

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Today on #OurAuthorGang I shared a few ways that I write believable characters.
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Chris Weigand shared this via Google+

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Rick Haynes

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Iv'e never thought about basing characters on people I know. But Rebecca has piqued my interest and maybe, in a few cases, I did. However, on looking back, I can see some protagonists loosely based on heroes or villains that I had read about decades ago. Thank you for posting.
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Toi Thomas via Google+

2 days ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, Rebecca Tran discusses how drawing from real life can make believable characters. #OurAuthorGang
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Eva Pasco

2 days ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I can honestly say that my characters aren't based on anyone I know--perhaps that's a good thing.
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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

An extra help to get you into bookstores (Part 1).

Let’s be honest, which is the indie author who hasn’t ever dreamt of having his books in bookstores? The only problem is that Bookstores are quite difficult to approach, as they require the possibility to return the copies that do not sell.
For an author a book is a piece of his/her heart, but for bookstores a book is a business, and unfortunately Amazon doesn’t give the chance to return unsold copies, but is this really the end of all the hopes? No!

IngramSpark offers the chance to publish print on demand books giving the possibility to offer a wholesale discount for the bookstores and the chance to return the unsold ones.
The problem? It doesn’t offer the chance to give a buying link to your future customers, nor it gives you an author page, and you need to have your own ISBN.

Amazon, on the other hand, gives you all the flexibility you want, because it has a direct store where customers can buy so you will have a purchase link to put on your website, Newsletter, Facebook page, business cards and so on. Not to mention the possibility of an author page where all your publications can be browsed by potential buyers.

The solution? Of course, there is a solution, but handle it with care.
You can publish with both Amazon and IngramSpark. To do this you need to buy your own ISBN, which in the end of the day is not such a silly idea, although, the Amazon offer to have one for free sounds great.
Having an own ISBN makes you in charge and in control of your production as you become the publisher, and Amazon the distributor.
The catch is that you first publish your e-book and paperback with Amazon, remembering NOT to choose the extended distribution, as this will be taken care by IngramSpark.
Once the title is set, you proceed to publish your paperback with IngramSpark, choosing your wholesale discount, and how the bookstores should deal with the unsold copies. You can choose to have them destroyed or have them returned to you, and try to sell them at book signing events, or as material for giveaways.

There is a fee for publishing with IngramSpark of 49 USD per title, but I don’t consider this a big issue, if this is the price for having my book distributed in bookstores, I am in to invest, even if this is only the chance.
Another nice feature given by IngramSpark is the possibility to have also a hardcover version of your book. I like the idea, and a hardcover is always nicer to have when reading a book (personal preference).
I have published the second book of my series Deadly Deception with IngramSpark, and if you stay tuned with me, next time I am going to tell you about the differences in printing qualities and why you need to have for both your proof copy.
Have a great day!

COMMENTS

Erika M Szabo via Google+

3 days ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Good advice for authors by PJ Mann at #OurAuthorGang
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Bonita Gutierrez shared this via Google+

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Joe Bonadonna

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Very good and sound advice, PJ -- thank you for posting this.
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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

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Today on #OurAuthorGang, PJ Mann - Author​ gives us some excellent tips on how indie authors can get their books into bookstores.
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

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Author PJ Mann shares tips on how to get your indie book into bookstores on #OurAuthorGang today.
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Ruth de Jauregui

2 days ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Oh thank you so much. This is an issue I was worrying about and here's the answer. One question: One ISBN for both Amazon and Ingram, or two - one for each distributor? Back in the day, we had to have different ISBNs but we were working with different imprints, so it was a little different situation.

Great post and thank you again!!
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Chris Weigand shared this via Google+

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Cindy Smith

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good advice
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Cindy Smith shared this via Google+

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Rick Haynes

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You learn something new every day, as the saying goes. And today, I did. Thanks for the info PJ Mann. I'll take another peek at Ingram Spark.
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Toi Thomas via Google+

3 days ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, PJ Mann offers tips for getting indie books into bookstores. #OurAuthorGang
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Eva Pasco

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Interesting information!
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Susanne Leist via Google+

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Toi Thomas originally shared this
 
Today, PJ Mann offers tips for getting indie books into bookstores. #OurAuthorGang
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