Guest Post: Annabelle Blume on Consistent Characters

Hey frans, I've got a special treat for you, and I do mean special.  My friend, author, Annabelle Blume's up-coming novel, Melted Tears (Due out on September 9th) is on blog tour (Sept 2-20th), and today's stop is here with us at E's Blog.  I met Annabelle when she became a fan of The Falling Angels Saga, and ultimately a fran, like a lot of you.  I had no idea she had aspirations to become an author until I happened to see a tweet about her first novel, Frozen Heart.  I got my hands on Frozen Heart when it first came out and I have to tell you, I love, LOVE, LOVED it!  An amazing dystopian romantic adventure with some sizzling sex scenes.  I was so happy for Annabelle and jealous (in a good way) that her very first book could be so damn good.  You can find her first novel, the prequel to Melted Tears, here: FROZEN HEART

Flash forward to this past spring when Annabelle asked me to write a blurb for the sequel.  You know I said Yes! I loved the first one so much, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the new one, and let me tell you I was not disappointed.  AND if you look at the front cover--Huzzah! A blurb by yours truly.  DO NOT make my first blurb ever go to waste.  Support this book!

But enough about my needs...

Today Annabelle is sharing a guest post about creating consistent characters.  It's a good lesson for some of us and a great reminder for others.  But before her post, here's a little bit about the woman herself.


 

                      About Annabelle Blume

 

Annabelle is a Science Fiction and Urban Fantasy Romance author, that is, when she's not checking homework or begrudgingly cooking dinner. Wife, mother, and creator of alternate worlds, Annabelle has a penchant for that which is outside the norm. Her Sociology degree has given her the ability to construct worlds that exist only in her head and translate them passionately to the page. The time spent studying individuals, interpersonal relationships, and particularly, women, within the constraints of our society led to Annabelle's unabashed ability to talk about sex as it fits into our modern lives. Annabelle's official author page  http://www.annabelleblumebooks.com

You can find her on Twitter: Twitter@AnnebelleBlume  and stay up-to-date via her Facebook Author Page

CREATING CONSISTENT CHARACTERS

 



I believe creating consistent characters is one of the hardest things about writing. And fewer writers are successful at it than you think. I see it all the time, even in blockbuster movies and my favorite TV shows; a character saying something completely out of line with their typical thought processes or jumping ahead in their character arc without any solid footing to support their transformation. I’ll never forget when I saw a character on my favorite show, Supernatural, leave a woman possessed by the strongest demon they’d ever seen completely unattended. I mean come ON! These guys have been fighting monsters for their whole lives and they’re going to make a bonehead mistake like that? I think not.

So how do you avoid this in your own writing? First, you have to push yourself. Don’t ever allow yourself to write a character doing or saying something just because it’s convenient to the plot. If your character has to play dumb, or mean, or weak when they usually aren’t, then your plot isn’t supporting this element. Go back and try again.

Next, you must, and I mean MUST, have a critique partner who is honest with you. When I was writing Melted Tears, I had a tendency to allow Cressenda to dwell on her fear that Beckett might leave her in the West Fallen work camp. My critique partner, Amy, kicked my butt! It was totally out of character for Cressenda to be mopey and self defeating and with Amy’s help I got Cressie straightened out and back to her bad ass self.

Lastly, if you have a scene or introduction of a plot element that you’re unsure of, read it out loud. If you’re lucky, your computer may have a function that will read your writing back to you, but if not  lock yourself away (car, bathroom, closet, wherever) and read that puppy with all the passion and fervor you imagined when you wrote it. If it doesn’t flow you’ll know you’ve got to clean it up.

Yes, it’s hard work, likely inconvenient, and a pain in your neck – literally and figuratively – but your work will reach new levels of professionalism when you push yourself to do better and be better.

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A terrific lesson for us all.  Now go forth and support this fabulous author. 

GIVEAWAY

Here's your chance to win a FREE ecopy of Annabelle's sizzling second novel, Melted Tears.  Just click here: GIVEAWAY.

Peace.