Alexandrea Weis is an advanced practice registered nurse who was born and raised in New Orleans. Having been brought up in the motion picture industry, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her award-winning novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story memorable. A permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans. Check her out online at her website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and GoodReads.
A WORD WITH THE AUTHOR
Creating Memorable Characters
Every character is a story. It isn’t their circumstances that glue a reader to a page—it’s who they are. Characters must resonate with readers to remain memorable. Whether a movie, television show, or novel, the characters propel the story, pull in the reader, and stay in the mind long after the tale has ended.
But flashing a person out on paper can be a challenging task. Idiosyncrasies, ticks, gestures, scars, hair color, or features all add to a character’s believability. Just like meeting an interesting person, there is always something that stands out. A character should be the same way. The more real someone is to the writer, the more likely they will emerge from a story to grip the reader.
Make your characters people you would want to meet. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. They must be multi-faceted. Go beyond physical descriptions to incorporate favorite clothes, food, music, plays, books, movies, likes and dislikes, the type of car they drive, how they drive, and where can define them.
The inflection of the voice, the quality of their tone, are also important. If their voice is deep or shrill, the types of words they use, whether endearments or nicknames. When speaking to a person, how they say something is just as important as what they say. An aristocratic man may dress and act a certain way. Still, without the condescending inflection of his nasal voice, or his sharp, barking orders to his staff, you can’t impart the entirety of what he represents.
Where a character lives, the presentation of their home, their neighborhood, even the type of furniture they select says a great deal. If you walked into the mansion of a wealthy man who puts on airs, is well-spoken, and yet very secretive, but discovered he had no furniture, no personal items, what would that say? In that presentation, you have whetted the appetite.
A character is very much like a painting. You begin with an outline drawn in pencil, fill in the colors of skin, hair, and eyes, and move to the details of the clothes and the setting. When you’re done, you have a complete portrait and, depending on the details presented, a story.
(Secret Brokers, #1)
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: April 7th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: April 7th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance,
Dallas August runs a dangerous business—an organization of elite spies for hire.
The secrets trade.
Nothing is off limits, and no price is too high.
When asked to uncover what recluse Gwen Marsh knows about a Mafia kingpin’s death, Dallas poses as a bodyguard to get close to his target, but the stubborn Asian beauty wants nothing to do with him. As the FBI and the Mafia close in, danger drives them together, but can he protect Gwen, or will Dallas be the one risking everything to discover what she is really hiding?
Dallas August is about to find out how dangerous life can be as one of the Secret Brokers.
Once you are in, there is no turning back.
TOUR-WIDE GIVEAWAY
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everything about the book appeals to me. thanks for sharing the post on characters. i love learning why authors do what they do
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental