Novel
Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
How do you build your characters?
For CRASH I needed a baddie. I sort of knew the type of person i wanted as he was already in my imagination – but I hadn’t seen him in real life.
One day a speed-walker passed by my house. He was very small, middle aged, had brown hair (possibly dyed), wore rimless glasses and was very focused. Now I’m sure he was a perfectly nice man and would be horrified to know I’d cast him as a manipulative monster in my novel – but he was exactly what I had in mind – and being able to view him in the flesh meant I could add to my original image.
As a drama teacher I always enjoyed taking a character from the page and turning them into believable people. I guess with writing it’s much the same but it has to be done the other way round – find the flesh and bones first and then use words to paint the picture of them.
I’d love to know what devices other writers use to develop their characters.
J.M.Hulme. 