Tools for Creating a 3D Character

I've invited fellow author, Kimberley Dehn, to come by as a guest blogger and share her expertise on Creating 3D Characters. Kim is the author of the romantic comedy, Southern Exposure-one of the funniest, most enjoyable novels I've read in a very long time. The book finaled for a 2009 EPIC e-Book Award, and rightfully so.

While Kim is here, I'm going to slip over to her blog and talk about Research (link appears at the end). Please stop by.

Linda

I’ve yet to meet a writer who picks a character out of the blue and fits her into a plot. For me, plot and character go hand in hand in a joint effort to flesh out both story and character growth.

Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation and Conflict method of character and plot development combined opened doors for zillions of writers like me. I cannot begin to write a story until I use Deb’s GMC chart. With a plot idea in mind, sometimes nothing more than a scene or a vague character sketch, I begin fleshing out the character by using the chart. What does my character want (goal), why do they want it (motivation) and why can’t they have it (conflict). The chart helps you to delve beyond the surface of both internal and external emotions and needs. Once I have a strong chart, for me, the plot takes on a new life.

I next try out names. One of my favorites is Character Naming by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The book is divided into ethnic diverse lists, and has a paragraph up front telling about that particular naming system. The lists offer surnames, female and male lists, with meanings attached to each name. Not only does it include the usual Anglo, French, German, Italian…but also Egyptian, Persian, Polish, Thai, Portuguese and the like. Celebrity sidebars give insight to how authors like Hallie Ephron, Jennifer Crusie, and Jodi Picoult name their characters.

I keep note of several possible names because sometimes, when a plot gets rolling, you may discover the name you originally picked doesn’t work. I originally named the heroine of Southern Exposure, Mikki Highsmith. I needed a spoiled rich girl. However, as my story smoothed out into a coherent plot, I realized I needed her to be softer. Not a hard caricature. I renamed her Katharine Hubbard with the nickname Kat. Just by changing her name, my opinion on her changed, and she became someone I would enjoy hanging out with instead of someone I rolled my eyes over. Names are the ultimate in character development. Names give the reader an unconscious impression about the character. Find that hard to believe? What if Margaret Mitchell called her hero Wilbert Walker instead of Rhett Butler?

After I have a name, I interview the character. I have been interviewing my characters for twenty-some years, long before I became remotely serious about publishing, never realizing it was a big deal until author Vicki Hinze asked me if she could include my interview questions in a writer’s handbook she was developing. Through Vicki and like authors, my character interview took momentum and now more writers than not are use it.

I imagine I am sitting down with my character to ask her questions. Not the bland, boring type of questions like where were you born, blah blah. I am my character’s trusted confidant and I’m there to get her to open up and tell me her deepest, darkest secrets. To unload, so to speak, about what might be bothering her. I hope it pertains to the plot I’m trying to develop but ya know…sometimes my character surprises me. She will tell me things that will sometimes destroy my original plot sketch and open up a whole new can of worms, but in a good way!

The interview is all about the emotion. Even light, funny plots can become emotional and therefore give a richer, satisfying layer to your plot, if you let go of your need to make your characters do what you want them to do, and instead allow them to become who they are. Anyone who is not a writer will think… ‘Okay. Call the funny farm. I’ve got me a live one here.’ But you know--if you’re a writer--you know what I’m talking about. How characters take on a life of their own, write themselves and you as the author are nothing more than the conduit to get them on page so they can breathe and tell their story.

Fleshing out personalities can be both fun and exasperating. The idea of course is to make your character people 3D and realistic. This is when I pull out Love Lives by Carole Golder. Its intention to is build relationships through astrology using star signs, but I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful as a writer to know what sign my character was born under and use the personality aspects that go with that sign to round out my characters. The book will flesh out a sign, like Capricorn, and describe the signs personality aspects in detail. Then it says…How you see Taurus. How Taurus sees you…and so on throughout all the signs. The later part of the books talks about the Capricorn Man. The Capricorn Woman. This book has been on my shelf for at least fifteen years, and no, you cannot borrow it. It’s become that sacred to me as a writer.

There are so many books out there to help you create a rich, 3D, fully developed character for whatever plot you’re striving for. I’ve listed below some of the books I’ve used over the years. The trick is finding what works for you.

Love Lives, using astrology to build the perfect relationship with any star sign, by Carole Golder
Creating Character Emotions, writing compelling, fresh approaches that express your characters’ true feelings, by Ann Hood
Creating Characters, how to build story people, by Dwight V. Swain
Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Goal Motivation and Conflict, the building blocks of good fiction by Debra Dixon
Kimberley Dehn © 2010

Kimberley Dehn
Author*Humorist*Pathological Storyteller
http://www.kimberley-dehn.com/
http://kimberleydehn.blogspot.com/

The New Cover for Shooting Into the Sun

Here is the cover for my May publication with Champagne Books -- Shooting Into the Sun.

And here's a blurb:

When people are about to do the wrong thing, they don't look you in the
eye. Parents were no different.

"Never shoot into the sun"--this was the
last rule of photography Rylee Morgan's father taught her, right before he got into his car and drove out of her life. This and other rules she had learned had made Rylee a talented and sought after nature photographer. The rules she developed for life, however, had not served her so well. Instead, they left her alone and guarded.

Sixteen years later, Rylee thinks she has located her father across the country in California's Sonoma Valley. She accepts a photo assignment that will land her near San Francisco where she intends to do some exploring and find the truth. But it's what she learns along the way that forces Rylee to change her views on life and take a chance on love.

While you're waiting for Shooting Into the Sun, feast your eyes upon one of my other six novels already published. Just check out the My Books section on my website: http://www.lindarettstatt.com/

Linda

EPICon 2010, There I Go

I've returned home from attending EPICon 2010 in New Orleans. And I returned a bit lighter. I sold a few books--and I didn't have to worry about packing that pesky EPIC e-Book Award. Okay, so I'm disappointed I didn't have to pack up an award. But I'm keeping things in perspective. I have six novels published, and two of those have finaled for EPIC Awards. I'm proud of that accomplishment.



As for EPICon, it was such fun to meet a few folks I've only gotten to know on the EPIC lists. I did bring home information that will further my writing in the future. And I had a great time in New Orleans. What a city! We walked right smack into the middle of an Irish parade on Friday evening--a practice, they said, for St. Patrick's Day. Saturday offered an Italian parade, complete with floats and girls in taffeta dresses. You've gotta love New Orleans.



And then there were the beignets. If you've had beignets, I need not say anything more. If you haven't, you can't possibly understand. (Maybe I didn't really come home lighter?)



I send out my congratulations to all the EPIC e-Book Award winners. Hope to see you all again next year in the finals.







Linda

EPICon 2010, Here I Come

I'm preparing to take off on Friday morning for New Orleans and EPICon 2010. FINDING HOPE has finaled for an EPIC e-Book Award in the mainstream category.

I'll be sure to post on Sunday after I return home to let you know how the awards ceremony turns out. I offer my best wishes to all other authors whose works have finaled this year.

I'll be signing my books at EPICon at the New Orleans Sheraton hotel on Saturday, March 6 from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m., so if you're in the vicinity, please stop by.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Linda

Sneak Peek: Shooting Into the Sun

My next novel, Shooting Into the Sun, will be released in May, 2010 by Champagne Books. I thought I'd give you a sneak peek here. Enjoy!

(This is not the cover, but it is a sunset shot on Mackinac Island, where part of the story takes place.)

~ * ~
When people know they’re about to do the wrong thing, they don’t look you in the eye. Parents were no different.
~ * ~

One

“Never shoot into the sun.” Her father repositioned himself to pose for the photograph.

“Why not?” Rylee Morgan lowered the camera and squinted at him.

“Because it’s a rule. If you follow the rules, you’ll avoid trouble, and you’ll create beautiful pictures.” He stood in the back yard, the white aluminum siding of their house providing a backdrop.

She wanted to believe him. Rylee snapped the photograph, capturing his image.

He motioned to the camera bag he’d set on the ground beside her. “You remember how to switch the lenses?”

She nodded.

“How about one more picture of us?” He pulled the camera from her hand and drew her close to his side. At twelve years of age, she was nearly his height. Extending his arm, the camera lens reflecting their images, he pressed the shutter release.

He handed her the camera, then hugged her against him. “I love you, angel. Don’t ever forget that.”

She choked on her words. “You don’t have to leave, Daddy.”

“Yes, honey, I do. I’ll talk to you soon, though.”

“Take me with you.” She knotted her fingers in his sleeve.

A muscle twitched along his jaw. “I can’t.” He held her for another moment, and then pried her hands free. Bolting to the car without a backward glance, he pulled from the drive.

“Daddy!” Rylee chased after him. At the curb, she raised the camera and clicked the shutter frantically until she heard the whirr of rewinding film. Tears blurred her last glimpse. His car turned and disappeared from her view.

She hugged the Nikon against her chest and cried.

~ * ~

Never shoot into the sun--the voice played in her head. The rules she had learned early in her career never failed to produce flawless photographs. The rules she had developed for life had not served her as well. In the sixteen years since her father’s departure, Rylee had kept herself busy, focused on her career, and remained safe inside her well-constructed boundaries.

Rylee resituated the tripod and checked the sun’s position. She stepped behind the camera, looked once again through the lens and waited, watching the slight movement of the leaves. Water bubbled over rocks. Slowing the shutter speed, she could create a smooth cascade effect. Blue sky and white clouds reflected on the stream’s surface. This stretch of the rapids where the Youghiogheny River ran through Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania was her favorite spot for shooting.

Her thumb rested on the shutter release, prepared for just the right moment. The breeze subsided and the shadows shifted. Then, just as she pressed the button, some jerk decided to walk on water.

Rylee lifted her head and stared. A hiker made his way across the exposed rocks and into the middle of the narrow river--directly into the center of her view. She walked to the water’s edge and, with hands on hips, shouted, “Excuse me! You’re ruining my shot.”

Shooting Into the Sun
Copyright 2010, Linda Rettstatt
Available May, 2010 from Champagne Books

New Review for And the Truth Will Set You Free

Check out the newest review for my first novel, And the Truth Will Set You Free. It's posted now at author, Rhobin Courtright's blog, Rhobin's Rambles.

Thanks, Rhobin, for a great review!

How I Spent My Snow Day

I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania. Scenes like the one in this photograph weren't all that unusual in early February. You pretty much expected to awaken to tree limbs weighted by snow. But here's the thing--I live in Mississippi now. I can expect to see a variety of sights from my balcony--kudzu slowly choking the trees, some sort of snake (shudder) slithering toward the creek, maybe even an armadillo foraging at dusk. I do not expect to find five inches of snow blanketing the volleyball pit beside my apartment building. Yet this is what I wakened to earlier this week.

Now, I'm not complaining about having two snow days off of work. I don't drive in ice and snow. That's why I no longer live in Pennsylvania. Well, one of the reasons. So, what does one do on a snowy day in Mississippi?

I got up early to check the road reports and wait for that all important call from the boss: We're closed. After feeding the cat her breakfast, I crawled back into my still-warm bed and sank into a pleasant dream about some sandy shoreline and sunshine. Mmmmm. Waking again in an hour (when said cat decided to parade around my prone body and purr into my exposed ear), I got up, made coffee and watched the news reports of traffic on I-240 inching around the numerous accidents at every overpass. And I asked myself, "What do those people do for a living that is so urgent as to risk their lives and the lives of others just to get there?" Seriously, unless you're a surgeon and your patient will die without the life-saving surgery only you can perform in the next two hours, why do you have to be somewhere?

Well, I didn't have to be somewhere. I happily sat in my sweats, my hair standing on end from sleep, and browsed the many writing groups to which I belong. Ooh, four of them were allowing promotional postings and excerpts. I shifted into 'work' mode and promoted the heck out of my books until the noon news. Then I made lunch and took a break to watch--you guessed it--drivers continuing to try to navigate around Memphis through weather they weren't used to. I began to lose sympathy for them.

I went back to the laptop and pulled up the manuscript I've been working on. It's a paranormal romantic suspense. After two chapters, it was time for a break. Or maybe a nap. Isn't that what people do when they're given the gift of a free day?

I think I mentioned the cat. Let me introduce you to Olivia who now only answers to the name Binky (long story). I got up to head to the bedroom and realized I'd not seen Binky for a few hours. Usually she will plant herself right under the front of the recliner foot rest so I have to be very cautious about getting up. But I checked first--no Binky.

She couldn't have gone far, so I shuffled to the bedroom, all set to snuggle in and snooze. Maybe even enjoy another technicolor dream. And then I found Binky. My bed pillows were all askew, and my quilt bore a distinct round lump right in the center of the bed. I lifted the quilt and the top sheet and peered beneath. Two round black eyes blinked back at me with an expression that said, "You got a problem?"


Napping in my own bed was no longer an option. I grabbed a blanket and returned to the recliner. I stretched out and closed my eyes, confident I wouldn't have to worry about squishing the cat when I got up. I was just about to accept an exotic pink concoction topped by a little blue paper umbrella from a George Clooney look-alike when something poked my arm, waking me.

Binky.

Apparently, it was kibble time. I got up and scooped dry kibble into her bowl. Awake now, I fired up the laptop. I pulled up the story I'd been working on and read through the chapters. One of the characters in this book is a dog--a Jack Russell terrier unimaginatively named Jack. He's a yappy, annoying little beast who is always interrupting his owner at an inconvenient time to either be fed or walked.

I looked over to where Binky, her hunger now satisfied, stretched out languorously on the back of the sofa--napping away. I highlighted my description of Jack and hit delete. Then I typed in my new annoying, demanding little character, Binky the cat.

Next time I have a snow day, I'm not even getting out of bed. Let her forage for her own kibble.


Linda