Welcome to A Novel Approach. If this is your first issue, I encourage you to check out my back issues for more tips on how to write a novel. It's my fondest hope that I can help other writers do the best they can do.

If you have any specific aspects about novel writing you'd like me to address in future issues, please feel free to contact me and let me know what those are. Thank you for your interest, and here's to better writing!

Special Note

I try to put out two issues a month. Those of you who've been reading the past issues know I generally put one issue out around the 10th and one around the 20th.

I apologize for only having one issue this month, but we are about to move across country and I'm having trouble getting all my writing done far enough in advance.

I hope to have my next half dozen issues written in advance as we go into actual move time, so you don't have to wait and wonder when I'll get around to more novel writing tips. Wish me a clear head the next week as I write those issues.

Susie

Writing a First Novel Part Two -
Character Creation: Making Them Real

All those details to come up with. All the characters, the conflicts, the places, the events. It's a wonder any of us ever start!

But, if you're at all like me, which I suspect since you're reading this, you simply can't help yourself.

So here is another step toward that elusive goal of writing a first novel. How to create characters that are REAL.


Where Fiction Meets Reality

For me, characters usually show up before their stories. Or sometimes with their stories attached. So, the first thing I do, before anything else, is to attempt to create my cast of characters.

To help you see how I do it, I'm going to use my fiction writing character outline form (download it free by clicking the link, if you don't already have it), and create the main character for a historical novel I hope to write soon with my daughter.

Step One: Name.

If a name doesn't jump right out at you, leave that blank until you get to know the character. I use a baby name book to get ideas, but I have to know the "character" of my character before naming him or her.

Alternate Step One: Gender, Age, Marital Status and Heritage. Female, early-twenties, Caucasian, single.

Don't worry immediately about a birthdate or birth place unless they're vital to your story. I haven't figured out the exact time frame for this story beyond knowing it's set in the late 1800's in southwest Colorado.

Step Three: Looks. 5'1" and curvy, but not fat. Blue eyes, red hair and oh, I think she's Scottish (I'll have to research enough to see if that's feasible for the time and place, though.)


Relations and Friends

Step Four: Immediate Family. A dad who's fed up with his daughter's antics and sharp tongue, and a mom who enjoys laughing at her husband and daughter.

Step Five: Friends. Ely West, (a bit of a rascal). Annie Winslow.

Step Six: Spouse & Children, if applicable. It's not, unless I find she's a widow with children...

Step Seven: Other Relatives, if any. I like big families, and back then, you had big families if possible, so I'm giving her an aunt and uncle, plus three cousins and a grandmother still alive.

Step Eight: Pets. They didn't keep pets as much back then. Most animals had to work for their keep, but I'll think about a cat, since I'm partial to them.


Background Information

Step Nine: Where He/She Lives. Durango Colorado, though it may not be incorporated as a town, yet. Have to do more research.

Step Ten: Schooling. Finished at local one-room school house at sixteen.

Step Eleven: Occupation and Past Jobs. Women in this era were quite limited, though some broke the rules anyway. I need to research what was happening in the Durango area during this time period to really figure this out. Perhaps she runs a boarding house, which would fit well in the era (a lot of miners around at the time) and also with her independent personality. (Ah, the cat would come in handy to keep mice out of food stores!)

Step Twelve: Other Pertinent History. Nothing of note at this time.


Personality

Step Thirteen: Beliefs. Look up church history in the area. Was it denominational or "just there"? Scots tended to be Catholic in the centuries immediately preceding this one.

Step Fourteen: Dreams and Goals She secretly really wants to get married, but isn't sure if the man she fancies will ask her (since she's getting so old - for the era).

Step Fifteen: Hobbies. When she has time, reading and drawing. Also writes poetry (this is her softer side).

Step Sixteen: Skills, Strengths, Faults and Weaknesses. She runs the boarding house well, but has some trouble with cooking (too distractible). Good at managing overall tasks, but loses track of details. Good at keeping a number of people "in line" at a time. Can be intimidating at times. Not as good with small children as with adults.

Step Seventeen: Habits, Mannerisms, Personality Traits and Temperament. Very independent and not sure of romance. That's why she's not married yet. She doesn't open up very easily. Talks with her hands (and thus tends to spill whatever she's holding). Tomboyish and frank. Doesn't mince words.


The Real Details

Step Eighteen: Voice Quality, Speech Habits, Favorite Phrases. This is where you come up with a unique voice for your main characters. No two should sound alike. For mine, I think I'll do some research into Scottish sayings that may have been passed down through the family.

Step Nineteen: Tastes, Preferences (including clothing). Likes bold colors, but conservative cuts of clothing. Likes to experiment with new recipes and foods (which is when she most often fails at cooking).

Step Twenty: Likes and Dislikes. Dislikes cowboys because she's a farmer's daughter and the two "types" clash. This will make good fodder for her relationship with Ely, who's a cowboy. Loves to pause to watch the sunrise for ten minutes early in her daily duties at the boardinghouse.

Step Twenty-One: Fears, Happy Memories, Sad Memories and Embarrassing Facts. She's afraid she'll be an "old maid". She hates snakes, but will gently shoo spiders out of the boardinghouse without harming them. She's embarrassed that she likes to write poetry - it seems a too "feminine" pastime.

Step Twenty Two: Any other notes of import. Ah, now I know her well enough to know her name is Kate - maybe Kate Logan. And I think Annie, who is much shyer, is going to end up rooming at the boarding house, then taking over the cooking for the guests.


Voila, a New Main Character!

You may find you can't know your character(s) very well until you start writing their stories. That's fine. You can see I left myself research notes and sketchy areas. I've got enough to get me started and ideas flowing, but until I actually write some of the story, I won't know more.

Not only that, but some of what I've put down here may change - in small or large ways - depending on what I do write. Again, this isn't a problem. Your characters should reveal themselves through the actions they take in the story, and through things they say and think.

There you have it. Now you can start on writing a first novel by creating your first character, then all her or his friends and family! Don't forget the bad guy (or girl).

I can't wait to read your novel!

For more information about creating characters, check out any of these links to the character pages on my website.


Characters
Character
Characterization
Dialogue
Fiction Writing Character Outline (the page, not the form)
Point of View

Here's a closing thought about making your characters both unique and real.

It's a dead give away of an inexperienced writer if every character speaks with the same voice. ~ Colleen McCullough