Creating Story Characters that Count.

Recently I attended a workshop with Cate Whittle, author of the Trouble series. At the workshop we discovered how to create story characters that count.

Cate guided us though some exercises to give one of our story characters depth, to make them believable. 

We learnt about;

• Character Calls - a pitch for our character
• Expanding our character - giving them something to react to
• Interviewing our character - to get to know them better
• Getting to know our character close up - getting to know their physical attributes

Cate suggested to do this for our other characters too, as long as they are important to the story. But we probably don't need to develop their backstory to the same extent as the major character. 

Cate reminded us that while this information is quite detailed not all of it will need to be included in the story. But this background work/research helps you, the writer, to understand your character's personality and attributes.

Yesterday I interviewed my new character, Lillian May Stewart, who is in year 5. (Note: Lilly's name might be changed as there are currently a few younger reader books whose main characters are named Lily.)

Now that I have interviewed Lillian May Stewart I have a much better understanding about her personality, likes, dislikes and how she reacts to situations. Lilly is beginning to become a believable character, not just some light weight, flimsy little girl.

To find out more about Cate Whittle see her website here.