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| Cora Ramons on the right with other members of SJ SinC |
SJ SinC member and past president, Cora Ramos, shared some tips she garnered from our guests at our last meeting, Catriona McPherson and Simon Wood.
Rules
for series characters:
See
the character grow through the series. What is the overarching goal?
1. You shouldn’t be
able to sum up your character in one line. You can’t describe a ‘personality
succinctly. You can get to know someone–over time.
2. You need a ‘voice’
for that character. Take out all that is not her/his voice in the re-write.
3.The character sees
himself and knows that he’s not perfect.
On
the other hand, a good crime novel does not have to have good or great
characters. So, plot, pace and high stakes can make it alone. Think about James
Bond, Jack Reacher, Robert Langdon—they are not complicated figures, but they
maintain a certain attitude—that’s about it. Yet they pull us through book
after book. We don’t have to know why a personality does what he does only that
he reacts in certain ways.
A
true flaw in your main character has to have a cost. You have to do it in a way
that works. (Girl on a Train and Gone Girl—unlikeable
characters).
Characters
do NOT have to want something. It limits where you go with the
character. Your hero can have unresolved desires and wants if he is a series
character.
The
take away—don’t be bound by the rules and advice of other writers, especially
when they don’t work for your story. Sometimes a new and fresh way
of writing wakes people up. I guarantee you will find it hard to put down
Simon’s novel, The One That Got Away?
Is
there a rule that you break in your writing?
Or
do you try and follow famous authors' rules consistently?
P.S. Some exciting news from member Lorie Ham, the editor and publisher of the online magazine, Kings River Life:
“Just Desserts for Johnny” by Edith Maxwell, published by Kings River Life, has been nominated for an Agatha. You can read the story here: http://kingsriverlife.com/01/04/just-desserts-for-johnny-mystery-short-story/
“Just Desserts for Johnny” by Edith Maxwell, published by Kings River Life, has been nominated for an Agatha. You can read the story here: http://kingsriverlife.com/01/04/just-desserts-for-johnny-mystery-short-story/
Loved this post, thanks for sharing, Cora!
ReplyDeleteI break rules all the time (you know that!). I will show the reader the killer right away. The rest of the book my protag, Christy, has to catch up. Sort of the Colombo set-up. The books don't always end with justice, or even resolution. Rules? What rules? They don't apply as far as my writing is concerned.
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