tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post5811548060073181316..comments2023-11-02T02:40:48.410-07:00Comments on Crime Fiction Collective: Getting a Grip on My HeroineL.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-63798295477209868212011-10-13T14:06:41.111-07:002011-10-13T14:06:41.111-07:00Thanks, Drew, again, I have to give credit to Mich...Thanks, Drew, again, I have to give credit to Michele for her workshop. One of the best benefits about these interviews is that I could separate my voice from Peri's. I have a problem in making my main characters too passive, as if they are extensions of me and I'm trying to pull myself out of the book. Interviewing Peri allowed me to have "interviewer's voice" and give her the personality. The process made her so much more lively in the book.Gayle Carlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783449240138097315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-81193830638412261332011-10-13T13:37:50.650-07:002011-10-13T13:37:50.650-07:00One of the hardest things in writing fiction--at l...One of the hardest things in writing fiction--at least for me--is nailing down a character so he/she comes across as well-developed and real instead of flat and wooden. I do a lot of people watching and mental note taking. It's not uncommon for someone to shoot me one of those what-are-you-looking-at kind of glares. But it's important as a writer to pay close attention to your surroundings, or, as you did, Gayle, take it a step further and jump right in. These are the things that make a story spring to life, adding an element of freshness you just can't manufacture.ANDREW E. KAUFMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08835920472268730244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-28923555055616799832011-10-13T10:35:44.668-07:002011-10-13T10:35:44.668-07:00Good suggestion. I know what I'll be doing nex...Good suggestion. I know what I'll be doing next. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-1158838859388266932011-10-13T10:12:26.709-07:002011-10-13T10:12:26.709-07:00What a fun woman! I love her!
I tend to find a na...What a fun woman! I love her!<br /><br />I tend to find a name for my characters first, then do some brainstorming and some stream-of-consciousness first person with them. But I love it when they surprise me, and am honored when they tell me their secrets.<br /><br />Brandilyn Collins wrote a book called GETTING INTO CHARACTER. If I recall correctly, when she interviews her characters, the one question she keeps asking them is, "Why?"<br /><br />Great post, Gayle. I'm looking forward to getting to know Peri better.Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-45244196066685127362011-10-13T09:54:26.684-07:002011-10-13T09:54:26.684-07:00Great post Gayle. I'd like to think my novel i...Great post Gayle. I'd like to think my novel is character driven but you'll have to be the judge when it comes out! I think well developed or interesting characters are the heart of the story and much more valuable than a good plot. In that way it is much like life and I think readers respond to that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-6569729139378179162011-10-13T09:13:29.674-07:002011-10-13T09:13:29.674-07:00What an entertaining read, Gayle! Just what I need...What an entertaining read, Gayle! Just what I needed as a break in the middle of otherwise nonstop editing all day! I love your character, Peri, and really enjoyed the lively discussion! Can't wait to read the novel she stars in!Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-37917109217940959852011-10-13T09:10:04.532-07:002011-10-13T09:10:04.532-07:00This is wonderful, Gayle! What a great exercise.This is wonderful, Gayle! What a great exercise.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12487464497446199247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-67397959408798284112011-10-13T07:21:26.326-07:002011-10-13T07:21:26.326-07:00Only one small biographical piece. Like Peri, I...Only one small biographical piece. Like Peri, I've been married 3 times, but the third one was the charm for me. Dale is most decidedly not gay. Oh, and the second husband was a sociopath, but the first one was not in the service. Everything else seemed to pop out when I closed my eyes and imagined...Gayle Carlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783449240138097315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-53574030948266162992011-10-13T07:01:29.906-07:002011-10-13T07:01:29.906-07:00Thanks for a fun interview. Of course, now I'm...Thanks for a fun interview. Of course, now I'm trying to figure out which parts of biographical and which are pure imagination.L.J. Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.com