Do you hear voices? You
should. It is important to hear the voice of each and every character in your
story.
Each character is an individual, and as an individual
speaks, thinks, and acts differently from the other characters. After all, that
is what gives them individuality, makes them their own person. Otherwise, they
would all sound alike, flat and boring. It is up to you as the author and their
creator to bring your characters to live and give them substance. In other
words, you have the duty to your readers to make your characters sound like
real people.
How do you breathe life into a character? First I would
suggest taking note of the people around you, the ones you know and don’t know.
Watch them for gestures, facial expressions, favorite words they use
frequently. Do they sigh frequently as they talk? Do they have a habit of
laughing at times that do not call for laughter? Do they frown a lot or have a
twitch? Is there a favorite word or phrase they interject often such as “oh,gosh”
or “good gosh a mighty?” Does the person have a quick temper or is he/she a
mouse?
Next get your character profiles for each character and
study them. Once you have an idea of your character’s personality and
background, you need to figure out how you can reflect the character’s
personality, education, social background, birth place, gender, and even
job-related way of talking. Have their grammar match education and slang match
age and lifestyle.
Don’t forget dialect. This could reflect the area of the country
from which the character comes. Foods they eat can show where they were raised
or simply show an idiosyncrasy. Be careful, though, not to overdo dialect. It
could cause your reader to stop reading your book.
Be sure to match all the elements to your character. Body
language (yes, it is an unspoken voice), thoughts, and speech should all match.
Otherwise you could give your reader the impression your character has multiple
personalities!
Faye
M. Tollison
Author
of: To Tell the Truth
Upcoming
books: The Bible Murders
Sarah’s Secret
Member
of: Sisters in Crime
Writers on the Move
