The Joy of Developing Characters

When I wrote my first “Walk Through England” mystery, A DEADLY WALK IN DEVON, I faced the same challenge as every writer: coming up with the characters and story.

Creating characters has never been difficult for me. It’s almost as if they create themselves. I don’t mean this to sound magical, but they usually appear before me, fully formed. I know their names immediately, and their histories. The greater challenge is deciding how to develop them.

If my characters will appear in more than one book, I want them to develop—to grow, become wiser, more knowledgeable about their lives. In my England mysteries, for example, Chase struggles with his grief over his late partner Doug, and the excitement and challenges of his new relationship with Mike. He’s intent on making it work.

I’ve created another series (to be announced soon!) in which the main characters are very different from Chase and Billie, but they, too, will develop from book to book. It’s exciting to see where they might be headed.  I’ve just finished writing a stand-alone book in which the main character is very different from any I’ve ever created, and I had the time of my life showing her adapting to an unusual situation, learning from it, and taking control in a way she never has.

That’s the real fun of writing for me: letting these characters loose in the world and seeing where they will go. As the writer, I nudge them in one direction or another, of course, but I’m always delighted to see how they surprise me. I hope they have the same effect on my readers!