FUN CREATING GREAT VIVID CHARACTERS by Sheryl Jordan

When I read stories or watch movies and TV shows of any genre, my attention is immediately drawn to the characters. I want to relate to them in some way. From my perspective, characters can make or break the story. Many articles and opinions exist on what   makes great characters and how to build them for stories.

Some common themes are that characters must be believable, have conflict, flaws, and quirks, and must grab and hold the audience’s attention throughout the story. This can be through understanding their goals, conflicts, and needs, or they may have traits the audience sees in people they know or wish they had. They desire to feel connected to the characters.

One of my favorite novel series is The Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson (and his team of co-authors). The novels feature an ensemble of lead women characters who are best friends and work in professions that bring them together to solve crimes they face. Lindsey Boxer is a detective, Cindy Thomas is a reporter, Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, and Yuki Castellano is a district attorney. Each woman has conflicts in her life, which she works through as she solves cases. They are all engaging, fun, intelligent, strong women with flaws and quirks.

Readers who have enjoyed my stories often tell me they love my characters and how they interact with one another. More than a few times I have been asked how I came up with my characters. I use various methods depending on the story or my level of motivation at the time. Sometimes, I think about my current and past relationships with family and friends. For example, if siblings in my story have healthy, strong bonds, I reflect on my relationship with my siblings and use some traits from our interactions. I draw from the love we have for each other. We are supportive and encouraging of each other’s goals and ambitions.

Other times, I use traits, personalities, and conflicts of people I have met or seen. I once met a man and his dog at one of my first book signings. The man shared his story of traveling cross country after he sold everything he owned, which I think about often. Through this brief encounter, I saw traits in him and his dog that would make beautiful characters in a future story!

At times, I just start writing. As I write, I develop characters as the story progresses. I do end up jotting notes of the traits and struggles the character may need to possess to add color and dynamics to the story. I then break the lists into what works or does not work for the storyline. I then build the character from there.

I also generate pictures of what I envision my characters look like and make an outline of their personalities, flaws, conflicts, quirks, and struggles. This provides a visual to refer to as I write. It is easier to show and build the characters throughout the story. Several AI programs are now available to create characters (for a fee). You only need to type a few descriptive traits you want your character to have, or you can even upload a photo. I have not utilized these yet, but they seem interesting and fun.

I find creating characters to be one of the enjoyable steps in writing stories because you can use your imagination and draw from people you may know, hear of, or even see in passing. Whatever method I use for stories, I always enjoy creating, getting to know, and understanding my characters!

What are some of your favorite characters in stories? What makes characters memorable for you?

 

Creating Characters Links:

https://www.bbcmaestro.com/blog/how-to-create-story-characters

https://prowritingaid.com/art/2363/character-development.aspx

https://writingcooperative.com/creatingvividcharacters-44ef5690e266

 

James Patterson Women’s Murder Club Link:

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/james-patterson/womens-murder-club/

AI Character Generator Links:

https://perchance.org/ai-character-generator

https://www.canva.com/ai-character-generator/

https://app.artflow.ai/

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-good-AI-character-generators

GOLDEN AGE OF CINEMA - A PORTRAIT IN BLACK-AND-WHITE by Teresa Inge

During my childhood, black-and-white movies were a staple on television. My mother and I watched them together. We also watched shows like The Munsters, Dragnet, Beverly Hillbillies, and the Addams Family on our black-and-white television.

Although I can’t recall the first black-and-white movie I ever saw, it may have been one directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Frank Capra, or Howard Hawkes due to their creative storytelling, compelling characters, suspense, and moody grey-black tones. The cinematic artistry of these movies began my lifelong love of black-and-white films.

IS THE PEN STILL MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD? PART 4-AGATHA CHRISTIE-THE BIG DEBATE. By KIMBERLY THORN

I want to have some fun with this blog post. So it’s time for you to tell me some things. I hope you enjoy and will respond! 

 

Ok, so now for the great debate. Who is it for you? Marple or Poirot? And why?

For me, I am a diehard Poirot fan. Maybe it’s him being French, oops, sorry, I mean him being from Belgium that helps me love his character but I do. Actually I have found out recently something about myself that I think makes me relate to him more. Or at least I think I can understand where he comes from some.  

It’s to do with his appearance and his talking. Because he is excessive in his dress and very precise in his speech, which is with a French accent, people do not think he is very smart. He is

WOMEN IN WARTIME: THE CODEBREAKER by Yvonne Saxon

June 1916, Chicago, Illinois: After a week of searching, twenty-three year old Elizebeth Smith remains jobless, with no prospects. Elizebeth (spelled with an "e" because her mother didn't want her called "Liza") graduated from Hillsdale College in 1915 with a major in English Literature and had also studied Latin, Greek, and German. But she's quit her teaching job after a year because it was "uninspired." Now she has no choice but to return home to Indiana, defeated. It's her last day in the city, so she goes to the Newberry Library for a special treat-- a look at Shakespeare's First Folio, printed in 1623. A librarian sees her interest, talks to her, and makes a phone call. One hour later Elizebeth is being offered a job by George Fabyan, a wealthy industrialist!

WHEN MURDER HITS CLOSE TO HOME by Maria Hudgins

Recently, my book club selected the book, Eyes of a Monster, by Ron Peterson, Jr, for discussion at our monthly meeting and we had probably the biggest group we've had in years. It was standing room only until we brought in extra chairs. At the end, nobody wanted to leave. What sparked such enthusiasm? One of our members suggested a book, a murder mystery, that was actually set in our neighborhood. We chose it for our next meeting. And, oh yes,  it was a true story. Only three names were changed and I think that was because the people referred to were minors at the time of the murder. It's exciting to see the names of people you actually know in a published book.

We all felt intimately connected to the story even though the murder itself occurred 43 years ago and none of us were directly connected to it, but almost all of us knew several people who were mentioned because ours is a close-knit community. Plus, we knew the streets and buildings, because we had driven these same streets on our way to the meeting. 

UPDATE: COASTAL CRIMES, VOLUME II By the Sand in Our Shorts Gang

We're inching ever closer! Coastal Crimes, Volume II: Death Takes a Vacation is more than just a vision at this point. We've gathered submissions and are completing our internal review and making edits. Soon, we'll ship the manuscript off to Wildside Press, for another round of edits and formatting changes. This are exciting times as we approach the home stretch for our anticipated late winter/early spring 2024 release date.   

True to our by-the-sea vibe, this next anthology features short stories by some of your favorite local authors, centered around a common theme: mysterious deaths involving a vacation destination in the Coastal Plain of Virginia or North Carolina east of Interstate-95. 

So, for those tourists among you who come here to enjoy a respite from the hustle and bustle of your ordinary lives? BEWARE! And for locals? Maybe it's time to call a moving company...  

More details to follow, including a cover reveal, when the time is right. Stay tuned!      

STORYTELLING AND THE ART OF THE MYSTERY GENRE by Penny Hutson

Storytelling likely existed well before recorded history, but the traditional mystery genre is actually quite new compared to some of the earliest stories. Homer’s Illiad and the Odyssey, for example, are generally dated in the late 8^th to early 7^th century BC.  Written in verse, these poems detailed the exploits of all the heroes and heroines, kings and queens, gods and goddesses in the Trojan war, and later King Odysseus’s travels home from the war.

Rarely were stories told or written about the common or everyday folk. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales were one exception, but they were not written until the 14^th century. Even the few Shakespearean tales of the seemingly ordinary folk like Prospero or Sly included kings, dukes or other noblemen and women. The infamous bards of the Middle Ages dabbled in local lore and legends, but still told of larger-than-life figures who were well known by their audiences. Robin Hood, William Tell, and the Pied Piper came to mind. Those storytellers were also well-versed in the local gossip and scandals of the Royal Court of the day, as well as tales of the heroes in myths and legends such as Hercules or King Arthur. Interest in folklore, tales about the common people, didn’t begin until the late 1700s in Europe, and then later bloomed when the Brothers Grimm published their fairy tales in 1812.