Developing Your Characters

I love some of the topics that we get for our monthly group blog get together's. And this is another interesting and thought provoking on. How do you develop a character who is different in personality from all the other characters you have developed, or from yourself?

First, because I’m plot driven, I come up with a plot, or the beginning of a plot. We know it will change as I write but it’s where I start. Then I come up with the characters that fit or will develop the plot.  Usually it’s the heroine, or the hero. Then I need to match them and develop characteristics that can and will cause conflict.  Then there’s the villain.  

So now I have a rough idea of the characters and the plot, I start to do my research. What are the goals for my h/h and what characteristics do they need to have to reach their goals? What obstructions are there, and how do they need to personally develop to overcome the obstructions, either alone or together.  This would be where I would develop differences in personality that might be different from any other of my characters and definitely different from me..

In my Hawkins’ ranch series, Kye, whose story is the third book, Targeted, is a Blackfoot Native American. To develop his character, I researched the Blackfoot tribe, took a class on Native Americans and their characteristics, and used that to develop his character which is different from me and from any of my other characters. 

In my latest book, Death Southern Style Perrine is a psychic, Julie Ann has some psychic abilities and Ava is a Voodoo Priestess.  Once again, these characters are all different from myself and my other characters. Again, I did research on psychic abilities, and I had a friend who was a psychic, and I read up on the voodoo religion.

I look forward to seeing how other authors develop their different characters. Check them out.

Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1Y4
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com

Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog

Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com