Spunky’s Present to You – Encore

Dali and his pet Ocelot.

[L.A. Lewandowski will be back next week with another new, classy installment of her column. Meanwhile, enjoy Spunky’s Present to You. – the Editor]

The first writer’s blog that I read was written by the woman who would end up editing my first novel. In a particularly excellent post, she discussed at length the need to layer your characters – to give them strengths and weaknesses, good and evil motivations, and to otherwise make them as believably flawed as any human you might know. Annoying habits and pet peeves add depth, she postulated, and these idiosyncratic traits will make the character more believable. I’ve kept this post in my head as I develop my characters, and I’ve created a couple of doozies. In true Lois fashion, however, I would like to add a stylish twist to my mentor’s essay – when you want to give your reader a real clue as to what makes your character tick, give the character a pet. Continue reading “Spunky’s Present to You – Encore”

Spunky’s Present to You

Dali and his pet Ocelot.

The first writer’s blog that I read was written by the woman who would end up editing my first novel. In a particularly excellent post, she discussed at length the need to layer your characters – to give them strengths and weaknesses, good and evil motivations, and to otherwise make them as believably flawed as any human you might know. Annoying habits and pet peeves add depth, she postulated, and these idiosyncratic traits will make the character more believable. I’ve kept this post in my head as I develop my characters, and I’ve created a couple of doozies. In true Lois fashion, however, I would like to add a stylish twist to my mentor’s essay – when you want to give your reader a real clue as to what makes your character tick, give the character a pet. Continue reading “Spunky’s Present to You”