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Character Development—Personalities and Break-Out Secondary Characters by Connie Vines #RR68

This month’s Round Robin Topic: How do you develop different personalities in your characters?  Break-out secondary characters—the making of a new story.

The ‘How’ of the writing is always interesting for me to analyze.

While I have detailed plot lines before I write a story or novel, I am instinctive when creating my characters. 

As I’ve blogged before, I begin with a sense of time and place.  When the story in bubbling in my subconscious, I heard snippets of conversations, a song playing in my head (you know that annoying song simply leave you alone), or a impulse to cook a certain regional food.

A few examples:  When writing ‘Lynx” Rodeo Romance book 1, “Amarillo by Morning” kept playing in my mind.  I located by paternal grandfather’s Tex-Mex chili recipe and made chili once a week.  And then a brassy woman speaking with a Texas-twang and popping her chewing-gum would pop into my head (ala 'Flo’ in an old TV sitcom).

We all know a novelist always falls in love with her ‘first hero’.  My first romantic hero was Lynx Maddox.  While his younger sister was only mentioned in the first book of my Rodeo Romance Series, she became by break-out character in the second book, “Brede”. Whereas Rachel Scott and Lynx Maddox were the stars of my contemporary romance; Brede Kristensen and Amberlylnn Maddox stars shine in my romantic suspense novel, “Brede” Rodeo Romance book 2.

My characters also ‘drive my story’—often in a different direct, thus destroying months of detail research. “Nooo! Not again.”  Yes, this is my first reaction.  And, of course, I rebel at the very thought of shoving my months of detailed research back into my file overflowing file cabinet.  I’ve learned I am not able to force my characters to act against his or her nature.  Painful though it may be, I listen and I shift my story-line.

When did this happen?

The first time I experienced this ‘traumatic’ writing experience, I was plotting, “Tanayia—Whisper upon the Water” my sweet historical romance. 

Tanayia was to be a member of the Paiute tribe of Native Americans.  She was being groomed for the ‘taking of the shawl” (becoming a medicine woman).  I was involved in Native American Education Programs, served on a PAC Committee (parent advisory council), and participated in powwows.  I interview tribal elders and traveled to historical sites, etc.  I’d plotted by novel down to a puppy’s freckle, so to speak.

While Tanayia allowed me to keep the historical event which formed the opening event of my 1^st chapter, I learned she younger.  She was also a member of the “Nde” Apache tribe.  Tanayia was also strong-willed and determined.

My novel was not set in a different tribal area, difference climate, different customs, beliefs. . .well, you know what that meant.  Yes, more research.   I live within driving distance of Sherman Indian School in Riverside, CA.  In fact, I attended powwows where the Apache (Fire) dancers from the White Mountain Reservation danced each year. 

In the end, Tanayia was correct.  My story was her story.  It was her life, her experience—it was history, accurate, painful.  It was the personal growth of a young woman, torn between two-worlds.  I must, in the end, thank Tanayia for the awards this novel was awarded:  The Independent e-Book Award for YA Historical Fiction, The Dream Realm Award, and a National Book Award Nomination.

Are more break-out characters evolving in my novels?

Yes, there are a few nudging me now.

I also have a new hero, or two, with a foot hold in my plotting-world right now, too.

Watch for my flash fiction story in anthology available February, 12, 2019.  Cover reveal and more info will be posted soon on my blog (here) and at my website very soon.

Happy Reading and Writing,

Connie

Remember to visit the blog sites of these wonderful Round Robin authors:

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
> Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog
> Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
> Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
> A.J. Maguire  http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
> Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
>> Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
> Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1qI
> Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com

> Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com 

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New Release: Romance Sampler: Love, Forever

Free Download!

Amazon.com

This sampler collection of romance first chapters by established, award-winning, and bestselling romance authors is guaranteed to whet your happily-ever-after appetite and send you running back to Amazon to download the full novels to your hearts' content! This eclectic mix of sweet to steamy reads has you traveling from the past to the future, with historical, time travel, paranormal, contemporary, western, and futuristic romance beginnings. And we hope you will not stop at the beginning--and that you download and enjoy every one! 

Here is a sneak peek at the stories in Love, Forever: 

HEAT LIGHTNING (Book 1, Outlaw Ridge, Texas) by Joan Reeves 
Contemporary Romance. Amnesia stole her memory--her life! What Tessa doesn't remember may be the death of her. 

BREDE, (Rodeo Romance, Book 2) by Connie Vines 
Romantic Suspense. Trouble is something hard-edged rancher, Brede Kristensen, knows all about. A widower with a rambunctious young daughter, a ranch to run and an ornery cook who has just runoff, Brede doesn't need another problem. Yet in the midst of a violent storm, he finds an injured woman with no memory of her past--or the man who tried to kill her! 

FINDING MERCY (Return to Welcome #1) by Bonnie Edwards 
Contemporary Romance. Mercy Talbot left Welcome on a high, but she's returned a broke failure. She's messed up her career, love, and family ties. Now, she's found love and a new family. When her career is reborn, will she leave the man and child who've opened their hearts to her? 

TIME AND AGAIN by Nancy Fraser 
Time Travel/Romantic Suspense. Will Kate and Matt's accidental trip to the future bring them back together? Or, tear them even farther apart? 

THE GINGERBREAD HEART by Liz Flaherty 
Sweet Romance. Widowed Cass Logan has done her time as a caregiver. But when her boss, mystery-writer Eli Welcome, needs surgery, Cass is faced with following her heart...or walking away. 

ALL OF MY HEART by Sophie Jacobs, Book 1, A Harbor Falls Romance 
Contemporary Romance. Happy-go-lucky Suzie Hart has a perfect life and a secret. All goes well in her small town world until that secret rides up to her doorstep on a badass Harley and tosses her not-so-perfect world into some kind of big, bad tumble. 

KENTUCKY BLUE BLOODS by Jan Scarbrough 
Contemporary Romance. It's up to Reggie to save what's left of her family homestead and her proud Kentucky heritage. But when Parker shows up to collect his horses, all bets are off. Reggie's never been a gambler and Parker despises losing. But when Kentucky blue blood tangles with British blue blood, are they willing to take a gamble on love? 

ANORA'S PRIDE by Kathleen Lawless 
Western Historical romance. Anora King didn't plan to pretend she was married, but her new neighbors in Boulder Springs jumped to that conclusion. Jesse Quantrill is shocked to find himself lusting after a married woman. And wouldn't a romance between them be the town's biggest scandal ever? 

TWO DAYS UNTIL MIDNIGHT by Lynn Crandall 
Paranormal romance. A bird-shifter. A reclusive billionaire. A project that brings them together. A deadly curse that threatens to separate them forever. 

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE SEXY KIND by Karen Kelley 
Romantic Comedy. Mala didn't plan to crash land on Earth. She only wanted to sneak in for a few days and maybe find a man--a real one, but she encounters more than she bargained for with the town sheriff. 

NIGHT KISS by Maddie James 
Time Travel/Paranormal Romance. Claire Winslow vacations on an East Coast barrier island, content with her life and her potential future--until the illusion of a man walking the misty shore haunts her. Then one kiss--a beautiful, soulful, stolen kiss in the night--and her life changes forever.

Author Branding—Don’t Muddy the Waters (Part 2) by Connie Vines

Before we get to this week’s post, let me summarize last week’s assignment.

How to Design Your Author Brand

Okay, it’s scramble time.  Find a piece of paper and something to write with.  You can use the note app in your phone, but I think pen to paper works better in this case. (If you write under more than one pen name, just select one.)

Ready?

Write down what your author brand is.  You have 10 seconds. Go!
Time’s up.

Were you able to write down your brand?  Did you use 6 words or less?
Good for you.  You probably have a good idea of what your brand is.

If you didn’t (you are with me) don’t worry.  We will go about fixing the problem.

Brands Need to Be Specific

If you failed, the above test the reasons are likely because:

1. You don’t really know what your brand is yet.
2. You are over-describing your brand and couldn’t write it all down fast/concisely enough.

Now is the time to sit and ponder.  Strip away the contradictions, muddiness, superfluous.

What does a brand do?  A brand is a signal to customers to know what to expect when they see it.
Once they have had experience with a brand, they (hopefully) know what to expect.  Ideally this is a favorable expectation that encourages them to purchase your product, talk to their friends, and take
chances on your next release.

How about a brand like this?

“Daring, Thrilling, Romantic, Action Packed.”

What if we change it to…

“Daring, Thrilling, Sexy, Action Packed”

A big difference isn’t it?

I selected very genre-esque words.  This was my intention because genres play a big role in branding. Brands are also about trust.

Remember genres and sub-genres are their own brands.

This is really important.    We already have a mind-set/ expectations when we select a genre to read.  If you select a “Historical” novel (unless it is a sub-genre) you do not expect or probably appreciate elements of Urban Fantasy in the story-line.  Riding in stage coach, you prim-and-so proper heroine isn’t going to mesh with a hidden magical world featuring Fae, Vampires, and Werewolves.    So, unless you plan on inventing your own sub-genre (SteamPunk/StoneagePunk) with a limited readership, consider what you are inheriting from your genre.

Following these guidelines, I will attempt to come up with a brand for my current Rodeo Romance Series (BLW, BooksWeLove, Ltd.).

Genre:  Contemporary Romance (Lynx), Romantic Suspense (Brede), Contemporary Romance/Humor (Rand), Romantic Suspense (TBT).

I’ll go with Romance as a genre.

Now to the dictionary and thesaurus.

<Suspenseful music plays now>

Will Connie discover her ‘brand’?  Will her readers like her ‘brand’?
<Music continues>

Spoiler Alert:  Connie has awakened the ‘inner series branding’ within her mind!

Author Branding, Part 2.

I know last week I said I’d continue my topic next month.  However, since we are entering the holiday season, I thought I’d provide a mini-update this week.

What series brand did I develop for my Rodeo Romance Series?

“Instant Action. Sizzling Attraction!”   Set amidst the excitement and danger of the rodeo world—Rodeo Romance Series by Connie Vines.


Each novel:
Book 1, What woman doesn’t love a cowboy? Lynx Maddox gallops into your heart in “Lynx”.
Book 2, A hard-edged rancher saves a mysterious woman’s life, placing himself and daughter in jeopardy.  “Brede”.

For my novella series:

“Sassy & Fun Fantasy Series”
Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow, novella 1.

So how did you do on your homework assignment?

Ideas?  Comments about my branding results?

Feel free to post comments or send me an email.

Connie

The Art of Lying (aka Creating the Bad Guy) by Connie Vines

A compulsive liar is defined as someone who lies out of habit. Lying is their normal and reflexive way of responding to questions. Compulsive liars bend the truth about everything, large and small. For a compulsive liar, telling the truth is very awkward and uncomfortable while lying feels right.

So, you have your “perfect” hero and “perfect” heroine’s character sketches and novel outline at your fingertips.  What about your “not-so-perfect” villain, aka the bad guy?  He’s just the bad guy.  Ah, but the villain is a key player in your novel.  And, you’d like him to be a compulsive liar.  However, you really want to keep the reader guessing. . .

In law enforcement, these actions are called “tells”.

How do you make the “perfect” liar?  You need to know the rules before you can break them.
What will your villain have perfected?  Why, the art of lying, of course.

Nine Tips your Villain Can Teach you about the art of lying

1. Keep your head up:

“In all shows, there is always that moment when the magician risks being discovered,” explains Jacques H. Paget*, illusionist and negotiations expert. For example, when he makes a ball “disappear” as it remains hidden in his other hand, he may tend to tilt his head to the side, a movement which, however small, may be unconsciously perceived by the viewer as an indicator of cheating. “This is an instinctive gesture that we all do when we are afraid of being caught.”
Conclusion: Your villain knows to keep his/her head straight up. This will prevent the other person from getting suspicious.

2. Use the phone:

Sometimes lying is much simpler over the phone.  Deception makes our voices drop a pitch, in order to sound more stable and assured, but lying also exposes us to three negative emotions – fear of getting caught, shame and guilt – and these may just manifest in our voices.  Your villain knows this.  Your hero/heroine may believe the action was unintentional—the first time.

3. Repeat the scenario:

If you are telling a story, the villain knows he/she first needs to integrate it as a complete theater role. Being an actress does not mean just to learn words. It is also necessary to be at one with your thoughts and emotions. These are the things that will generally reflect your words. And some techniques can better reflect what it feels like:

– Begin and end sentences clearly.
– Take note of punctuation marks, especially full-stops.
– Sustain consonants that make words ring.
– Speak clearly.
– Work on your expressive diction.
Playing your role with sincerity.

 4. Control your actions:

“Our body speaks its own language and never lies,” says Dr. David J. Lieberman, hypnotherapist and a doctor in psychology. If you’re not careful, some little gestures will only end up betraying you.
Embarrassed by your hands, you slip them into your pockets or you lay them on your hips.
You sputter, your smile trembles and cracks as you declare how much you love the gift you received.
You touch your face, you scratch your ear, place a finger on your lips, you rub your eyes or nose to justify your delay in response.

Your face, your hands, your arms punctuate your words belatedly, and in a somewhat mechanical way.

You display a grimace instead of a grin while expressing your joy of learning promoting a colleague.
You pull a folder, a book and computer against your abdomen, as if it were a shield. Without understanding why your partner says there was something wrong with your story…

5. Do not say too much:

You call a friend to postpone a lunch for the third time. Listening to you presenting your perfectly oiled explanations, she begins to find this suspicious, there is just too much justification. To avoid getting caught, you think, better increase the size of your tale: the bigger it gets, the more credible it will seem. Because of its magnitude, it cannot possibly be invented. Your villain knows less is more. . .believable in this case.

6. Put on your sincere face:

Instead of looking your interviewer in the eye, aim for the tip of his nose. It is less destabilizing and you do not have the look diagonally, distant and elusive, whilst you spin your yarn. “Establishing good communication requires eye contact for 60-70% of the time of the dialogue,” says psychoanalyst Joseph Messinger. Also, be wary of your eyebrows wrinkling, your eyes crinkling and your eyelids blinking – they raise doubt.

7. Deviate from the truth:

A good lie always contains an element of truth. “In this case, the truth functions as a decoy.” For example: “I have an appointment with the dermatologist…” is a good primer. Then the embroidery comes in: “… to check my moles,” but you casually omit “…and to complete my Botox sessions.” It’s just a shot you have to take.

8. Do not say I:

Your villain knows to entrench himself/herself behind objective, impersonal, irrefutable facts.  “My company recruits only its sales executives with a certain diploma/certificate” … that your friend’s son happens not to possess, of course.

9. Camouflage:

Sharpen a pencil. Hang a picture. Drink coffee. Practicing an activity to pass the time is unquestionably the best camouflage for a lie. Is what any expert in non-verbal communication will tell you. The ideal situation? Lying whilst you are behind some sort of wall or partition, in order to neutralize body language, which is less controllable than words. It is essentially a way of saying that
those with mowing the lawn or trimming hedges are at an advantage for if they want to lie.

Little lies?  Big lies?  Huge lies?

It’s your story.

It’s your chance to create the “perfect” villain.


Happy Reading & Writing,

Connie