Into the Fire

Passionate thoughts about the world of writing and the Power of God

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One of the best and most fun things I do in writing stories is create characters. It seems characters or titles come to my thoughts first before the actual stories develop. It can be different for every author, but I've learned we sometimes share similar impetus and practical action when writing stories. For me, hands down, I love creating characters and finding the perfect title for the book. Following those two items, I want to make the dialogue authentic for each character and circumstance. Challenging as that can be, it brings me immense pleasure to nail it down as the story moves.

The thrill and challenge is to make characters that stick with the reader beyond the final words of the novel. For me, characters like Raleigh Harmon (created by Sibella Giorello), Will (created by Chris Fabry in Dogwood), and the ultra amazing Mitch Rapp (created by Vince Flynn) are the cream of the crop in my reading world. Many others resonate and have been done well, but off the top of my list these three are truly outstanding for different reasons.

Of mine, I'd like to think that Joey Parr (The Famous One) was memorable. I loved him. I'm particularly attached to my male protagonists. I'm not sure what that says about me. One of my favorite female characters was the fiery old widow ("Grams") in Destination.

What do you enjoy most about novels and who are your favorite characters?

 

Father, apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you for each character, word, and inspiration. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.   

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8 responses to “Thursday Thoughts . . .”

  1. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    Kudos to you for your enjoyment of choosing a title. For me that’s like pulling teeth. I hate it! LOL!

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  2. Brenda S. Anderson Avatar

    Oh, I’m with BK – I hate coming up with titles!
    But, I love creating characters! When I read, characterization can make or break a book. I don’t even have to like the character, BUT they have to be moldable. I want to see change in that character from beginning to end. They have to be multi-faceted, and they have to strike me as authentic.
    Favorite characters? Thinking …
    The first that come to mind are from Francine Rivers A Voice in the Wind. Hadassah and Marcus are unforgettable. As are Jane Eyre and Trixie Belden (from their own respective books).
    Of characters that I’ve created, none have impacted me more than the first I created, Richard Brooks. He’s taught me so much. (Isn’t that crazy? That we can learn from our characters?!)

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  3. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar

    I know we authors often seem a little mystical to some people, readers or otherwise, but titles come to me – I almost don’t have anything to do with their creation. No different really than the characters. Yes, Richard Brooks was a great character, Bren.

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  4. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    I think it would be hard to come up with titles. A good title will make me pick up a book for a second look. I neglected a particular book for a long time because I thought the title was “hokie”. Much later, I was drawn to the cover of a book in the same series and loved it. So I went back and thoroughly enjoyed the book with the less than stellar title 😉
    Here are some favorite characters:
    Raleigh Harmon by Sibella Giorello
    Patrick Bowers by Steven James
    Ty Buchanan by James Scott Bell
    Zack Brewer by Don Brown
    CJ, Matt and James in Sweet Release by Nicole

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  5. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    It was CM in Sweet Release, not CJ!

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  6. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar

    Oh yeah, Deb: loved Zack Brewer and Ty Buchanan (wish there were more of them); Patrick Bowers is a great character even though he irritates me repeatedly with his anti-God attitude. So glad you enjoyed CM, Matt, and James. (Loved Matt and CM)

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  7. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    Nicole, RE: your comments as to whether or not titles come easily–it’s hit or miss for mle. The large percentage of the time, I struggle for a title. But once in a great while it just pops right in my head.
    And weirdly, sometimes titles pop into my head for which I have no idea of a story. I just shove them onto the backburner until the story idea percolates through.

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  8. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    Oye. Long day. That should be ‘hit or miss for ME.’

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