Thursday, June 17, 2010

Characters

It’s fun to invent characters.

I’ve been doing so for a while, and I never get tired of it. Sometimes, they’re people with characteristics I admire. Kendra Ballantyne, protagonist in my pet-sitter mystery series, is an alter ego of mine, a lawyer who also loves animals.

I’m working now with Lauren Vancouver, my new Pet Rescue mystery protagonist, who runs HotRescues, an ultimate no-kill animal shelter. She’s very disciplined and likes to be in charge, but she has a huge, pet-loving heart. I like her a lot, and she’s already starting to grow.

Some of the minor characters are also fun. I decided to use this as my blog topic this week as I wrote about a guy who’s a dog trainer. He’s really good at it... unlike me. I admire him, even though I invented him. Of course, I patterned him to some extent on trainers I’ve seen in person, as well as TV’s Dog Whisperer.

Of course, if I want him to foul up and get bitten, I can do that with my character. I invented him.

Same goes for my shapeshifters in my Harlequin Nocturnes. There, I really create people... er, animals... well, they’re both, actually. I make up the rules about when they can shift or not, and how they react, and how others--people and animals--react to them.

How about you? Do you like to read about characters who are clearly fiction--yet have real characteristics as well? Do you enjoy creating your own?

Isn’t it a great escape???

12 comments:

Camille Minichino said...

It's a fantastic escape, and also therapy! For those of us who have little power in real life, there's nothing like it.
Uh oh, do I sound a little over the top? Really I'm kind to my characters!

Linda O. Johnston said...

Isn't it fun, Camille, to make sure that those characters we imbue with villainous traits get their comeuppance?

Camille Minichino said...

It's the writer's therapy!

Janie Emaus said...

I love creating characters!

Linda O. Johnston said...

And you do such a great job of creating characters, Janie!

Linda O. Johnston said...
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Linda O. Johnston said...

Amen, Camille!

Anonymous said...

I like some of my minor characters every bit as much as I do the major ones. Rupert is just plain hot...

Linda O. Johnston said...

Mardott, I enjoy creating secondary characters who drive my protagonists crazy... in many ways!

Betty Hechtman said...

After my fourth crochet mystery, I began to notice the characters had kind of taken over their own lives. In You Better Knot Die which comes out in November, I was shocked to realize who had dunnit and Molly's homicide detective boyfriend suprised me by what he did on the last page.

Linda O. Johnston said...

That's part of the fun of writing, Betty, when the characters tell YOU what's going on! I can't wait to read You Better Not Die, especially the end.

Linda O. Johnston said...
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