Hello everyone! My name is Jillian and I blog over at www.coversandink.blogspot.com. Brooke contacted me to see if I wanted to write a guest post on characters. Hope you enjoy :)
Characters are a crucial part of writing. If you don't develop your characters enough, your writing will fall flat, even if you have an incredible plot and a stellar writing voice. Readers want to care deeply for the characters; they want to meet new friends within the pages of books. Why would readers want to waste their time reading about people they don't care about?
It's imperative to develop your characters so well that they leap off the page. But how should you go about this? While there are several different ways to get into your character's minds, I highly recommend character interviews. I feel there's no better way to understand your character than asking them direct questions. Go beyond the obvious physical traits (hair color, eye color, body type) and ask your character deeper questions. What is their biggest fear? What lie do they believe about themselves? What's their worst childhood memory?
Even if it sounds silly, character interviews are a tremendous way to learn about your characters. I complete interviews for each main character before beginning a new story. Not only do they help you learn more about your character's personality, but they also help develop your character's voice, which is another necessary part of writing.
Have you tried interviewing your characters? What method works best for you when developing characters?
Thanks for having me, Brooke!
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