IWSG - Getting Personal

Happy July! Can't believe how fast the summer is blowing by. My kids only have like a month of vacation left. We are here for the first Wednesday so that means IWSG blog hop day.

I'm trying to fight off the impending blahs. Last month I talked about trying to focus on looking forward, and for the most part that is true still, but the continuing need to market makes it hard. But this month I'm trying not to dwell.

I'm needing to figure out what I want out of this career, so that'll be a post for another month. That means July's post will be short and sweet in only answering this month's optional question.

July 3 question: What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?

I've talked about this in a way in a post for the Author Toolbox Blog Hop. For me, adding traits from people around me is something I do to add another layer to my characters. Now, I don't find myself all that interesting, the the traits aren't all from me. I do borrow from friends and family.

Let's break down a few.

Calida-She is my main lead in Fiendish and Not Broken and she is a people pleaser. Quiet and mostly non-confrontational. Some would call her a "doormat" but that trait is based off a friend. She hardly ever wants to stand up for herself, she's afraid of making waves and rather keep the peace. It can be frustrating at times when she shares how upset she is when someone takes advantage, but it takes a lot for her to finally go off on the person and say her piece.

Macy-She's a side character and Calida's BFF. Her outlook on life and love was pulled from my younger sister. She's a free spirit that enjoys life and making the most of it. Fun fact, when my sister read Fiendish she picked up on the traits I'd borrowed to create Macy. It was cool and she loved the fact she made it into the story.

Malcolm-I talked about him in the linked blog post. He's the leading man in Not Broken and Macy's brother. He has a mash up of traits from my hubby and my sister's hubby. Yes, the same sister I used for Macy. Malcolm has a shoe and clothes habit (BIL trait) and he also still collects CDs and movies which he keeps alphabetized (hubby trait).

Evie-Evie is a side character in my story Anything Once. Not only is her entire personality based off one of my Squad members, she also shares her name. Originally the character had a different name, but as I constructed the story and Evie read/gave feedback I changed the name and included some of the actual conversations we had into the ones she had with Quinn, the female lead.

This isn't all of them, but the post could get out of hand if I keep going. You get the idea though. Using traits and tidbits from people around me helps my characters become more 'real' to me. It fleshes them out and helps me approach how they act/react from a logical and grounded position.

I can mix and match, embellish to create characters that I hope jump off the page and readers can relate to. That is my end game, to create memorable characters that stay with the reader long after they finish the book.

That's it for me this month. I hope you enjoy July.

Until next time
~Meka

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.

The awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!