In addition to writing, I act in online (and pre-COVID in person) mystery theater events. Each event brings a new opportunity to step into a new character’s shoes. For the month of February, I’ll play Italian opera singer Arianna Altamonte in a 1930s train mystery. I don the clothes, wig, and the voice of my character and state my alibi to the audience. When questioned by the online detectives, I answer in the persona of Arianna, trying hard to never falter.
When I sit in front of my computer to write the latest scene in my novel, I step into each character’s life. One of the most difficult things to do as a writer is to keep true to your character’s voice. Would my 1920s heroine, Evie, react that way or am I writing as I would think and feel? When you write a novel, you live many lives on your pages. It’s important to keep them straight!
As part of my writing process, I fill out a character sketch for each major player in the novel. I include not only appearance but personality traits, too. If I struggle getting a character right, I place them in a scene outside of the novel and write how they would react.
In the summers, I’ve taught writing bootcamps for teens. One of the exercises I give them is this – Your main character discovers your best friend has betrayed you. Write a scene where your character confronts them. The teens always have difficulty staying true to how they’ve initially described their character and write the scene as they would react. Once they realize their error, it becomes easier for them to create authentic characters and scenes for their story.
If you’re a writer or thinking of writing, try out the exercise above. Imagine a scenario for your character and write how they would react. Not a story. Just a scene from “action” to “cut.” When you’re done, set it aside. A week later, read what your wrote with fresh eyes and decide if you stayed true to your character or not. Good luck and happy writing and reading!
