This
month, we Roses have been cluing you in on summer vacations, various home
projects, and how they get story idea from head to page, among other topics. Since
I am in the throes of beginning The Deep Well of Love and Murder, fifth in the
series, process is a good subject for me.
My
first book contract came in 2009. Book five of the series is my eleventh such
contract. Where the idea for a book comes from varies. I’ve gotten inspired by
a family member’s general experience and once by a night spent in a cheap
motel. Ideas have jumped from the page of a wedding announcement and a
brainstorming session with my husband.
When
an idea comes, and if the idea is one I’ll run with, characters almost
instantly materialize. It’s practically instantaneous. In fact, a character in
the leading roll, often is the idea that sets off the storyline.
And,
so, the first thing I do, even before research, is construct my Character
Sketch file. Here is what that looks like. This is the working file for the
heroine in The Deep Well of Love and Murder. You can see it’s not complete.
When complete, not all of it will make it into the book:
CHARACTER SKETCH
TITLE: Heroine
Character Name: Laura Jane (Burns)
Katz Nickname:
Birth Date and Place: Long
Beach, CA 1992
Character Role: ex-wife of Clark Katz and heroine, protagonist
Physical Descriptions:
Age: 26
Race: Caucasian
Eye Color: deep
green, wide-set
Hair Color and
Style: long, blonde
Height/Weight/Build:
smallish 5’4”
Skin Tone: fair
Style of Dress: It’s spring
so she wears sleeveless tight Tee shirts or t-strap tops and tailored shorts.
No jewelry. She will wear cotton skirts if the event requires.
Distinguishing physical traits or mannerisms:
Personality Traits: Very outgoing and independent
Background: Comes from a dysfunctional family of an alcoholic mother
and abusive stepfather. She left home at seventeen (the day after graduating)
and moved to Flagstaff. Dropped out of college when she became pregnant and
married Clark Katz. Had a miscarriage, but hung in there working two jobs while
he loafed. In book one, he was involved with the theft of Lacy’s mother’s artwork
and consequently arrested. She divorced him. When he got out of prison, he
stalked her and went on to more serious crimes. Again arrested so when he got
out again, she left for Chino Valley.
GOAL:
MOTIVATION:
Internal Conflicts:
External Conflicts:
Occupation/Education: waitress and nanny
Miscellaneous Notes:
Every
character in the book will have a file like this one. Only the major characters
(heroine, hero, villains or perceived villains) will have a complete work up. It’s
very likely not all of the information will make it into the book.
If a
book is part of a series like The Deep Well of Love and Murder, the events will
be added to my Series Timeline. Every birth, death, marriage, and major event
will be entered.
The
research begins. When I start creating the character files, the story is
percolating which sparks questions, and it’s time to get educated. I can’t
write a character whose great grandfather was a Brazilian Gaucho without
knowing what a Gaucho was and where and how they lived. If my character had an
alcoholic mother, I might need some knowledge on how it could affect her.
At
some point, there’s no sure fire recipe, I write the opening paragraph and
synopsis. Character information will continue to come in…the people in the book
will open up more and more to me as the story progresses. That in turn will
necessitate more research. And the synopsis will expand, get hacked, ebb and
flow.
It
isn’t a straight line from idea to final product. This is the process that
works for me.
For more information about me and my books visit:https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003V15WF8
10 comments:
Loved learning about your process, Brenda. I've done those types of character profiles, and they really help when you're in the middle of an intense scene and can't call your hero's brother Tom when his name is really Bob! (Not that I've ever done that...) :-) Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to read the finished book!
Sounds like a tried a true process. I'm a true pantser who really needs to get more organized. I should try it. Thanks for the insight. This series is high on my TBR list.
I'm copying your idea for a character sketch. It sounds really useful and detailed. Thanks for sharing.
I do a brief paragraph, handwritten in a notebook, for each character. Sometimes only a line with pertinent physical info for minor characters so I don't screw up eye color, etc. I use to put it online, but the notebook just seems easier for me to access. Getting this in-depth would be really helpful, however. Thanks for sharing!
Your idea is much more detailed than mine. I usually have 2 or 3 lines of phrases separated by ellipses. I refer back to it often, especially for minor things like fragrance worn or siblings' names. It's a great tool.
I write a similar character profile of each major character before I start, too, although not in quite as much detail. My series books don't tie together so closely that I need to carry much over. It sounds like a great process for you!
Thanks for the comments ladies. I'm on the road all day today head in to CO to visit son and family..
Like Margo, I'm a pantser but sometimes I do chapter outlines and I certainly do datelines for novels that cover several years. All I can say is WOW to your character outline.
Very helpful! I have a character outline but to be honest, I seldom use it. Yours seems more to the point and helpful. I think I'll give it a try. I enjoyed learning about your process. Hope you're having a great time on your trip!
I do a quick paragraph for major characters, a sentence or 2 for minors. Sometimes I can't get into a character's head so your outline would help. Thanks for sharing your process, Brenda.
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