Guest PostDeveloping characters, for me, is one of those things that normally happens on its own. I’m a pantzer, I just think of something and begin to write. But, every now and then I get a character that won’t develop on his own. Recently I had a character that everyone kept telling me was flat, that they didn’t care about him.
So, I kept asking myself why. Why didn’t they care about him?
Finally, I went into the story and edited it so that he had a back story. This changed the feel of his character immensely. I could not believe the difference. So, I’ve learned that giving someone a back story…even if I’m the only one who knows about it, really helps the development of the character.
Like I said though, most of the time I let them develop on their own as I write. But, I know that I need a few things for each character. I need to give them full names, ages, a quirk (something that bugs them or they are passionate about), and a mission. After giving my characters all of these things, I am able to create a realistic world around them and let their story flow.
I never outline, but I do sometimes make character profiles. They aren’t very extensive, they usually just have the things I mentioned above and then other little things that I may need later if I forget, like eye color or hair color.
A writer is always going to need to study their craft and practicing exercises for developing their characters is great practice. I highly recommend doing the character profiles, but way more extensive than I do them, that is a great exercise for character development.
In my opinion, the characters drive the book, and they must be well developed to have any feeling for them. Love them, hate them, it doesn’t matter because those are both feelings and feeing for a character means they are well developed.
Thank you so much for having me on the blog today.
About the BookFourteen-year-old Chloe witnesses her mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire. Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters. Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community.
When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets.
Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder.
With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her.
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter is a short story series, parts 1-4 are available and parts 5 and 6 are releasing very soon.
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part 1: Free
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part 2: $0.99
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part 3: $0.99
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part 4: $0.99
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Collector's Edition: $1.75 (parts 1-3)
About the AuthorJennifer Malone Wright is an author of the paranormal; her works include The Birth of Jaiden and The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter series. She resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fifteen all the way down to one year, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.
When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel The Birth of Jaiden.
In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last eleven years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.
Connect with Jennifer:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
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