I've been reading bunches of stuff about characters lately...
1. Melissa Walker blogged about a song that reminds her of Violet.
2. Word for Teens is hosting a character contest. To enter, you have to name a character from a book that you would like to be. I'm still brainstorming because I seriously can't decide on one character.
3. Stephanie Kuehnert blogged for Young Adult Enchanting Reviews about her character's birthdays, astrological signs, and how she uses note cards to keep her characters straight - brilliant idea. Happy Release Day, Stephanie!
After reading these fantastic posts and continuing to bang out SCREWBALL 2 (untitled), I began obsessing about characters and character development. How do you create memorable characters? Do you research? Do you use real people as models? And what do you think makes a character memorable?
I have to admit, when I'm in the midst of writing, my characters are real. Like walking around real. Like in my head all the time, real. Hence, the conversation I just had with my sister in law on the boardwalk.
"Hey, that guy looks like Andrew," I say and nod towards a cute guy walking with his girlfriend.
"Andrew who?"
"Andrew Sinclair."
"Who's that?"
"Ashley's first boyfriend. You know, from my book." I roll my eyes.
Sister in law pauses, looks at me, then changes the subject.
Does anyone else do this? Or do you read a book and then spot someone that looks like the character from the book?
Happy News - The 2008 Summer Olympics begin one month from today - 8/8/08. I can't wait!
I'm also over at Pretty Tough today blogging about Team USA's Pink Out auction. Did you know that one out of eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime? Yikes. Cancer sucks. :(
Have a great day everyone!
