Character Descriptions - Creating a Picture With Words

Fat? Skinny? Tall or Short? What category does your character fit in?

Some of us have over-active imaginations which allow us to 'see' what a character looks like. Translating that picture in our heads to paper should be easy, right? Not always. What about when you have several characters floating in and out of scenes throughout the manuscript?

 How do you hammer out each description while ensuring none of them are alike? It takes planning, plain and simple.

One of my favorite things to do is have a working picture chart for each major and minor character for quick reference. I got this idea from a critique partner and I will never write without one again. My favorite place to look for character references are on the Internet, movies, and television. When developing a new character, I already have an idea of their physical attributes, the sound of their voice, and the way their body moves. Finding a picture I can study makes a world of difference when writing a full character description. If you only go by what you imagine, there will be things missing, such as, subtle quirks like the way a character stands, a twitch of the mouth, or that hidden mole. Your eye may not notice at first glance, but after studying a photo, you can add an extra layer of 'life' to the character.

Let me demonstrate.

In A Heart Not Easily Broken, there is a chapter where Ebony Campbell, the heroine, has the opportunity to study her future love interest, Brian Young, from a distance. He's standing in her back yard trimming the grass along the fences edge with a weed whacker and not wearing a shirt.

Here's the way that scene was written without having a visual reference to refer too (rough draft):

          Brian stood with his weed whacker, swinging it along side the fence. My eyes widened; the man was shirtless. The man had an incredibly strong looking back. His shorts hung off his hips and made his underwear visible, while a damp shirt hung from his belt buckle. Hmm, boxers or briefs? Sweat ran down his back to his shorts. 
          None of that compared to the way he looked when he turned around to one of the guys working with him. His body was free of body fat, with a little hair on his chest. Tight abs shown a ripple of muscles so tight I could barely see his belly button. 
          Brian's tanned skin reminded me of a Greek statue, he must work outside a lot. His baseball cap was turned backward, hiding the blond curly hair I'd seen at the club. His damp hair hung below its edge, showing off his square facial structure and the angle of his nose. His blue eyes were bright.
          Brian was unbelievably sexy.

Could you visualize what Ebony sees? I'm sure you were able to get a decent idea. Brian's working outside, he's sweating, it's hot, and Ebony's attracted to him. But how about the version found in the book? (after a  picture reference, a thesaurus, a multitude of edits, rewrites, and an over active imagination!) This is what I finished with:

           Brian stood with his weed whacker, swinging it in a controlled arch along the fence. My eyes widened; the man was shirtless. The man had an incredibly strong looking back. His shorts hung loosely from his hips, exposing the top of his underwear from the weight of the sweat-stained shirt stuffed under his belt. Hmm, boxers or briefs? Sweat ran in heavy rivets down his shoulder blades, trickling to the already damp shorts. 
          None of that compared to the way he looked when he turned around to speak to one of the guys working with him. His long torso, free of unwanted body fat, sported a light sprinkling of blond hair between his pecks. A tight abdomen showed every cut of muscle I’d seen in high school biology textbooks. His abs were tight, his belly button nearly nonexistent. 
          Brian’s bronzed skin reminded me of a Greek statue, a testament of many hours spent working outside. His backward baseball cap hid the thick blond curls I’d seen at the club. The damp ringlets hung below its rim, accentuating his square facial structure and the shape of his nose. His blue eyes seemed to glow from deep within his skin. 
         Brian was unbelievably sexy.


Visual descriptive, right? Both had the same idea, but the second one took the time to describe every single detail Ebony saw. Because of this, the reader is guaranteed to feel one of two things, 'wow, it's hot, he's sweaty, and could use a shower', or since your deep in Ebony's POV, your right a long with her thinking the sight of a hard working man tunes her on!

Perfect character descriptions do not usually appear while writing your rough draft. A Heart Not Easily Broken had so many rewrites and drafts I stopped counting at number eight, and believe me, there were still a few after that. But with each scene, I forced myself to take the time to write the descriptions of the characters in as much detail as possible. It didn't matter who's POV the description came from.

Since my books are written in first POV, one of the first things I had to learn was how to have a person describe themselves without it sounding clinical.

Here's an example of Ebony describing herself physically when comparing herself to her best friend, Yasmine:

Not so creative writing (first draft):

          Yasmine's light colored skin, skinny body, long legs and small breast suited her personality. There were times I wished my body was like hers. It would make shopping for clothes easier. I had a body like my Nana did when she was my age. If I looked at her photo albums, I looked just like her . We both had brown skin, shapely hips, big butts, and large breast. 

Oh man was THAT boring!

Now, here is the book version:

          Yasmine’s high-yellow complexion, slender ballet dancer body, long legs, and B-cups breasts suited her personality.  There were times I wished my body was more like hers, though. It would make shopping for clothes a lot easier. As it was, I had been blessed with the shapely figure my Nana called 'bootylicious'.  According to her, and her photo albums, I looked just like her when she was my age, with caramel-colored skin, perfectly proportioned hips, a butt that drew major attention, and D-cup breasts, making it hard for a man to look me straight in the eye.

So much better, and (if you are a lady!) can probably visualize yourself as either character, right?

A word of advice: when writing a characters description (especially if being done from first person POV), it's best to have them compare themselves to others, or stare into the mirror and describe what they do or don't like, as a suggestion. Having them say, "I have long hair, brown eyes, and dark skin," is not being creative. "My hair reached the top of my bra strap, my eyes were coals of molten like my mothers. I had her rich coco-colored skin, too," sounds much better. Okay, I threw that one together, but hopefully you get the point.

So, with visual aid (come on guys and gals, searching for that perfect pic can be fun!), lots of imagination, and the ever handy thesaurus, you can write descriptive scenes, too!

Until next time, WRITE WELL!!!!

MJ

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Recycle Those Old Manuscripts, Don't Trash Them!

I posted this status on Facebook last week:

New authors: Does you manuscript lack the 'fire' it needs to stand apart? Don't give up! Never trash those original ideas! Set them to the side and try again. You'll be surprised at how new ideas will begin to flow...you may even find yourself reaching for the original ms, pulling bits and pieces from it, and finding a way to make it shine! Old manuscripts are not necessarily bad ideas...just really well thought out musings!

Book 1-A Heart Not Easily Broken - completed: all notes and handwritten ms.

When I started writing three years ago, I thought my first manuscript was perfect. The characters were engaging, the dialogue witty and flowing... the story line engaging. Then I realized I didn't know what platform I wanted to use, much less what genre I was really in. All I knew is I had a story to tell. I wanted it to be a coming of age story but still be a romance. The characters were 18-21, so the story was more Young Adult. Because of the subject matter of the book, sex scenes were necessary, but I didn't want it to be labled as YA and didn't want to remove the love scenes  because they were pertinent to the story.  After listening to advice from my ever helpful critique partners, I decided to step away from the story and try something new.

Book 2- Jaded-editing: Original notes, scenes, new outline, 1st manuscript draft.

The next writing attempt followed  characters who were in their mid- to late twenty's, well established in their careers, and old enough to have as much sex as I felt comfortable writing about. The story line was completly different, and once again, I thought I had it nailed. Then I realized the characters were not real enough. I hadn't put in enough effort to make them believable. I didn't know their back story, didn't have a history to pull from to make my characters three-dimentional instead of two-dimentional. After sharing the first chapter with close confidants and having them nearly bored to death, I forced myself to listen to their honest feedback. They said, it was missing description in the scenes, and didn't grab their attention....I put that story aside as well.

Book 3 - Lonely Heart- wip:Notes from original ms and current rough outline.

After taking a writer's class, I found my writing platform. As a result, I pulled out the original manuscript, (thank god I didn't trash it like I started to!), focused on the heart of the story, and re-wrote it with older characters....after peeling back those 'onion' layers to discover who they were. As a result, I ended up with a much better story by 'resurrecting' bits and pieces of the original manuscript.

As I went through the previous manuscripts, I discovered various portions of the original stories can be recycled. I've enjoyed fitting the 'pieces' from the 'old' and and putting them together with the 'new'. I've been able to do this without pulling out the original pages to refresh my memory of the tale being told.

Book 4- Nobody's Business But My Own- planning:Notes, rough outline.

One thing I must point out: if you put down a manuscript and begin a complete re-write of the story, do it without reviewing your original work. Step away from the story for a few days, or weeks and let the old story line leave your thoughts. This is vital. Why? You don't want to end up writing the same stuff over again. As an author, the concept or idea should be imbedded on your mind without having to read it word-for-word. Doing so will allow the story to emerge from a fresh prespective. Switch up scenes, events, and add in more conflict, goals, and motivations. Before you know it, the story comes forth, and you discover certain events, dialoge, or even partial scenes connect to your original manuscript. You're original scenes can become back story to your current work.

Book #5-Untitled- planning: Outlines, notes, scenes. Book 6 is still buried deep in my head!

It's amazing how your creative mind can work!

One thing you must remember: Don't get impatient or discouraged! From what I've learned from my own writing journey, and all of the other authors I've had the opportunity to meet along the way, the average time it takes to write a good story is at least one year. It seems like a lot, but think about the steps it takes to write a story:

• Create the basic plot. (goals, motivation, conflict)
• Design the location, backdrop, or world for the story to take place.
• Create the characters that will inhabit this world. (names, back story, goals, motivations)
• Research jobs, topic for the story, etc., so the story can be as realistic as possible. 
• Write a story outline. (rough draft/final draft)
• Write first draft of manuscript.
• Read first draft, then write second draft, and third, and fourth, as many as it takes to get it as good as possible.
• Edit.
• Read manuscript again.
• Edit again.
• Wait for your beta reader/critique partners to read and send back their thoughts.
• Read/edit again.
• Eventually get work professionally edited/proofread. 
• And yep, edit again (I swear this step never seems to end!!!)
• Eventually, when you look around, time has passed, and yep, a year has gone by! 

Now of course, everyone has their own way of doing things. Some are better, some are not. In the end, it's all about the amount of work willing to put into your masterpiece. Sometimes its a matter of trial and error. One thing I can be sure of, and I've gotten this from self-published, indie authors, and New York Times Best Sellers, you never stop learning or growing as a writer. With every book you write, your storytelling improves. I know mine has. Writing and editing my second book has not been near as hard as it was the first time. Why? Because I've learned a lot and have implemented the techniques. Don't get me wrong, it's still hard work, but the rewards of seeing the evolution of my work are priceless!

Remember, with hard work, creativity, imagination, perseverance, and patience, a lot of patience...you'll make that original story become great. Good luck!!

M.J.

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Protagonist and Antagonist Are People Too!

Protagonist and Antagonist are the bases of every story. No matter what genre you write, the way these figures are developed can make, or break, your manuscript.

Is your story a comedy, mystery, chick-lit, historical, paranormal, or sci-fi? Depending on the type of story you are telling, the amount of work needed to make these characters realistic is up to you. I write Contemporary Romance and Women’s Fiction. The subjects I tackle delve deep into character emotions and motivations. I also write in first person. So, the more work I put into getting to know my characters, the better I can bring my readers into their head and allow them to feel the emotions they feel. Understanding why a character makes the decisions they do - both good and bad - are best done when the author truly understands them.

For me, writing each character is like becoming an actor. I don’t sit down and just write what they say or do, I figuratively shed my skin, step into theirs, and let their words and emotions flow.

As Shrek said, “Onions have layers…Ogres have layers.

We have layers to our personalities. Some of them are obvious, such as our temperament, external wants, desires, and needs. Are those the only things that define us? Not by a long shot. An internal layer defines us as individuals and makes us who we are. We pick and choose who is allowed to see that deep inside, beneath that extra ‘onion layer’.

The same is true of our characters. What are the layers that make them who they are? What experiences made them change their outlook on life? What plot in the story is going to shake their world, make them question their core beliefs, and push them to change, or send them on that quest to find happiness? Before that can be determined, we have to know what mindset the character has before life knocks them off balance. If we don’t know these things, then the reader will not know, and your character will be one-dimensional.

That’s a lot to think about isn’t it?

What exactly does having those layers mean?

No matter how great a storyline you weave, if your characters aren’t real, then the plot won’t matter. Readers should be able to relate to them and feel the love, hate, fear, and joy they experience. The characters are what drive a plot, pull the reader in, and make them want to know what happens next, even if the plot stinks. The way the character responds to the situations thrown at them are what define them and make them relatable. Your reader should be able to look at the situation they face and think, “I would have done the same thing,” or “Are they crazy?” Those types of reactions are what draw them into a story.

Think about your favorite book. What was it about the story that grabbed you the most? Was it the characters reaction to the plot? What about their strengths? Vulnerabilities? What part of the character did you relate to most that made you invest countless hours of late nights staying up to finish a chapter, or sneaking in a few minutes to read while in the bathroom? Was the characters quality a focal point of the storyline, or something in a backstory that explained why he or she choose to react the way they did?

A few months ago, I wrote about building real characters, and shared the steps I take when developing mine. This time I’m going to strip away a layer and delve deeper into that technique. One of the best books I’ve come across is, The Writer’s Guide to Character Traits, 2nd Edition, by Linda N. Edelstein, Ph. D. This book helps writers distinguish personality types. The book is a hidden gem. It delves deep into the human psyche and breaks it down. The likes, dislikes, how they think, emotional responses, and so much more. The beauty of this book is that it is about real people. As you read the breakdown of each personality type, you will literally see yourself. Using this book as a base to develop your characters will make them more realistic.

I’m going to share with you a few of the character traits and descriptions listed. For more information regarding the external and internal facets of the personalities, I strongly urge you check out this book!

The Boss: They want to be in the limelight at home, work, or play. The theme in their lives is control of themselves and others around them.

The Conformist/Conventionalist: In favor of compliance to nearly everything around them.

The Creator: Life gets meaning from the ability to produce new ideas or products (very artistic)

The Dependent: Their world revolves around having their needs met by others.

The Loner: Life seems directionless. This person has little strong attachment to anyone.

The Man’s Man: This character is very one-dimensional.

The Passive/Aggressive: They try hard, but always feel misunderstood.

The Resilient: They have the remarkable ability to recover from life’s disappointments.

Do you see your character here? This is only a prototype of what your characters could be. Now you have to fill in those blanks. This is where the handy character outline comes in.

Are those creative juices flowing yet?

The key to all of this is time. Not everyone feels the need to delve this deep into character development in order to tell the story. That’s fine, because everyone writes in his or her own way. My intention is not to tell anyone how to write. I am not a master, nor am I a published author. My goal is to share what I’ve learned on my writing journey with anyone willing to listen. The method I use may not be for you. I hope that you will find something useful to guide you in developing your writing style, or at least give you the extra encouragement needed to get over that writing hump.

So, planners, pansters, what is your technique for stripping away those onion layers? Please share!

MJ

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I'm Getting Published! (or My New Years Resolution!)

No, I’m not getting published…yet, but I’m putting it out in the universe!

Have you ever done that? Wanted something so bad you think about it, dream it, and talk about it all the time? Has it ever worked for you? A few years ago my husband introduced me to that concept. I'll admit, I am stubborn, hard headed, and often resist change and trying something new. Then one day I took his advice and did it. Man, talk about a life changing experience! As a result, I’ve experienced positive results so I can attest to the fact the saying is true: “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.”

That goes for both positive and negative thoughts. If you dwell on every negative thing that could happen in a situation, guess what, it will because that’s what you concentrate on. Why? Because you don’t take the steps to find a way to make what you want happen. Flip the switch from negative to positive and the results will surprise you. Changing your focus from what won’t happen, and putting your time and energy in what ‘will happen’ makes a huge difference. Determination to see your goal reached will help you succeed.

So, along with losing weight - isn’t that on EVERYBODY’S New Years Resolution list? – I’m thinking publication. Do I have my sights stuck on traditional publication? Mmm… not so much. The publishing industry is fickle; too much old school thinking. Today is a new day, literally. 2012 holds so many publishing options it’s not necessary to get stuck in the old ways. There’s E-publishing, Self-Publishing by way of ‘vanity’ publishing, or publishing by way of Amazon.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I know I’m going to see my book on Amazon…now it’s a matter of how it’ll get there.

And here’s where patience and research comes in.

Since I’m putting all of my positive energy out there, let me share the list of things I want to happen this year, as far as my writing career is concerned:

• Be published by a publishing company.
• Sell a lot of books of course!
• Be interviewed by local radio and television stations.
• Participate in the Writer’s Conference in my city. 
• Continue to make wonderful connections with other authors and readers.

Interesting goals, but all are attainable…if I set my mind to it and follow the steps I’ve learned along the way. Can’t wait to see what my end of the year blog will say. I will definitely follow up to see what I have been able to achieve.

But for now, I continue to push forward. The question I’ve asked myself since completing A Heart Not Easily Broken is this: My MS is done…now what?

One of the most valuable lesions I’ve learned from my critique partners is to not wait to start writing the next book, especially when writing a series. Why? First of all, no matter what publishing route you take, readers will want to know when the next book will be available. Publishers and agents will be interested in the fact your writing a series, because lets face it, series can lead to more sales verses stand alone titles. Before investing in you, and your product, they will want to sample the next book to be sure of the continuity of your storytelling as well as characters. It’s always best to have a second book available upon request. The last thing you want to do is be pushed for time to get something down on paper and have it lack the fire and spirit of the novel that caught their attention. Think about it: when you query, you never do it with the first draft of your story. You’ve gone over it with a fine tooth comb to tighten up the prose as much as possible. That takes weeks, months even. Publishers won’t give you that kind of time to see results. If you lose their interest, they will move on. Why give them that chance? 

I haven’t waited around. After taking two days of down time to clear my head and spend time with the family, I dived back in and started writing the second book in The Butterfly Memoirs: Jaded. This wasn’t the writing by the seat of my pants kind of writing. Completing my first novel taught me a lot about my writing technique, planning, outlining, and scheduling. As a result, it took me twenty days to write the first draft. That was ten days less than the thirty days it took to write the first book.

What did I do differently?

First of all, I took time during the second and third edits of the first book to work on the deep character profiles and story outline. I didn’t rush through the process, only took time to muse over the story as a way to take a break from the first book. Doing so allowed me to go back to edits with a clear head. Having the second books out line completed paid off. There was no down time needed to muse over my characters or decide what type of story I wanted to tell. The day before I started writing chapter one, I found all the pictures I needed for scene references, character references, and put my charts together. From there, I wrote, wrote, and wrote some more.

Another thing I did differently was write my first draft on my laptop instead of by hand. LOL, I heard the gasps out there. When writing my first novel, I used the old school method of writing by hand. As a result I have three-hundred and fifty handwritten pages of my first draft. I wrote like a crazy person, any and everywhere I had a chance. In my car at the red light, while waiting for the kids to come out of after school rehearsals, and yes, even in the bathroom. The second draft was done while transposing the work to my laptop. A third draft was done on the laptop.

This time around, I opted not to write the first draft by hand. Since this first draft was written on my laptop it cut down the places I could write. Writing at the red light was not an option, and doing it with the laptop in my lap in the car while waiting for the kids was not comfortable. So, I had to start a schedule.

Schedule, I loath, but I’ll be darned if my hubby wasn’t right. It really does work!

My mornings start with routine house leaning three days a week. That is followed with checking in on my social networking sites – shout outs, promotions, and making new friends. After that, I allow myself two hours to put in some serious work before the kids get home. After that comes evening family responsibilities, homework and dinner. After eight P.M., if I have a thought or a scene that wasn’t finished in the time allowed, I put in another hour or two. Ten P.M. is my cut off time. It’s time to give my brain a break, watch T.V., or go to bed.

Two days out of the week are dedicated writing days. Light attention is paid to house cleaning, and one hour of social networking. After that, it’s on. I enter my writing cave and stay there for hours, taking a break every two hours to stretch, eat, check in online, or lay down to rest my eyes and brain. By three P.M., I’m done for the day. After six hours of straight writing/editing I am usually pretty productive.  Depending on the depth of emotion of the chapter, or the material to be covered at that point in the story, I may write one to three chapters in a day, an average of thirty pages, or about seven-thousand words. That’s on a really good day.

Is my schedule perfect? Nope, and it’s not set in stone. But I can truly say for the last few weeks it has worked wonders. I’m not mentally worn out, my house is cleaner, and my family happier. Not to mention there are less burnt dinners. LOL! If I stay on this path, I’m sure I will find reasons to continue putting my positive thoughts into the universe and see the results I’m looking for.

So, what are your writing goals for 2012? What dreams do you wish to see fulfilled? What path are you taking to make it happen? I told you mine, now share!

Happy writing!

MJ

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Building Real Characters: How to Bring Them From the Page and Into Your Heart

I’ve read many articles and blogs dealing with character development. Each has taught me something I have used to aid me in making my characters real. Though I must confess, it is impossible to create a lovable character - or one you hate - without doing several ‘passes’ over your MS. But before you reach the writing stage, you have to know who it is your birthing into your ‘world’. Whether your genre is sci-fi, paranormal, or contemporary, the ‘world’ your character inhabits needs real people in it. Creating characters that are neither cardboard nor two-dimensional takes time. Just like getting to know someone in the real world, or cyber world,  if you spend as much time on Twitter or FB like I do.

So, how is it done?

Google character building and you will find tons of research articles to point you in the right direction. Today, I decided to share a few things that I’ve learned, as well as few tricks I’ve pulled from my own hat to make them even more realistic.

The Physical:

One of my critique partners showed me something one day that I could never, ever write without. She had a picture collage she put together of actors, actresses, and models that fit the physical description of the way she saw her characters. Not only is it a great way to actually ‘see’ your characters in the real world, it’s a great way to reference them without mixing them up with their sidekicks or other family members.

My favorite thing to do when writing is pull up pictures of my h/h side by side and look at them. I’ll imagine what expressions they’ll make while having a conversation, sort of like animators do when drawing a cartoon character. Bringing the characters to ‘life’ is so much better than just imagining them in my head without a visual reference.

Character Charts:

I’ve mentioned them before on a previous blog, (The Importance of Writing Outlines, Part Two), but there’s no harm in mentioning them again. Every writer knows the type of story they want to tell and can envision the types of characters that inhabit that world. But who are they?

Unsure of what traits to give your characters? This book by Linda N. Edelstein, PH.D is a great place to start! 

My first attempt at writing a character chart focused on the basic information: name, age, height, weight, race, parents, you know the drill. Pretty much the average questions we all answer when writing a bio for our FB accounts. But does that say who we are? What our life experiences have been? What events in our lives make us who we are?

Nope. But we need these things in order to create real characters. Who is in their family? What was their first job? What are their beliefs? What would they be willing to fight for and can’t live without? What dirty little secret sits in the closet and threatens to ruin their life if anyone found out?

Being able to answer those type of questions - even if they are not relevant to your story - will help you fill in the blanks as you write. Establishing these things is like having the character sit next to you as you type and say, ‘Hey, I wouldn’t do that. This is what I would do.” Oh yes, that wonderful moment when your character interrupts your train of thought as you write a scene and hijacks it. Next thing you know, they’ve taken over and what you imagined would be brilliant looks like dog crap next to what they’ve shown you.

That type of moment can’t be found without having the correct tools to get to know them.

A year ago, I was pointed in the direction of this writer, Charlotte Dillion's, website.  There I found the most detailed character outline chart I’ve ever seen. I’m sure we’ve all ran across them in books on writing, but this one, in my opinion, took it a few levels deeper. You have to check this link out: Character Charts. (Besides this character chart, she has a wealth of other writing information to share. Stick around and check it out.)

At first glance it’s a little daunting. When printed out, page, after page, after page of questions. My first thought was, “How am I supposed to answer this?” I knew then I had no idea who my characters truly were.  I spent the next two weeks getting to know my hero and heroine. I invited them to move in with me and my family (yeah, the kids thought it was kind of weird, but hey, they’re fictional, at least they didn’t need food or a place to sleep!) and spent a week getting to know each character. I interviewed them, learned about their family history, bad dating experiences, dream jobs, and things they hated the most. When the two weeks were up, I knew them as well as I know myself and could understand why they’d fall in love. I also understood how they would react to the issues I threw at them. My hero took one look at the original ending of my story and flat out told me he wasn’t a punk. I needed to give him some balls or else he was gonna walk. I took a look back at the interview we’d done, looked at his convictions, and beliefs and said, ‘Yep, your right. You’d definitely kick his butt.’ And from there came a perfect ending to their story.

 Okay, okay, now I sound like I have a multiple personality disorder. But lets face it, all serious writers are look over our shoulders for that little white truck with the 'special' white jacket that make you hug yourself from time to time, right????

Tip:

If you find yourself stumped on how your characters would react in a situation, visit this link: http://zodiac-signs-astrology.com/zodiac-signs. It's a great way to discover the way people react based on their astrological signs. I don't follow these, but I have to admit it did help discover my characters. Also, try checking out psycology books that delve into typical character traits. The book I enjoyed was, Writer's Guide to Character Traits, by Dr. Laura Edelstein.

Careers, Homes and That All Important Fragrance:

To get to truly know my characters, I had to do research.

Askhow.com was a rich resource for learning about what it took to get the job my characters wanted.  Google pictures of the house they lived in, geographic maps for the town, even Craigslist was a great source for ideas on what type of car they drove. Magazines with pictures of model homes, housing floor plans online, and my all time favorite, perfume and cologne samples. Yep, nothing puts you in the frame of mind of writing your h/h’s significant other than the fragrance they wear. I must say, Polo Black, by Ralph Lauren, is sexy and smells perfect for my first male lead. I think I’ve actually fallen for Brian after smelling that scent. I can only imagine how Ebony feels every time she sees him. 

So, that's a few of the things I've done to help my  along my writing journey. How about you? Got any tips, tricks or things you do that you will like to share? Leave a comment!

Until next time: Write Well!!!

MJ

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