Characters and Character

“Character is much easier kept than recovered,” Thomas Paine said. But, what is character? Personality is who people think you are; character is the real you. Character is all your deeply-held beliefs, your goals, your standards, the things that make you laugh or cry; your hates, your loves, your fears, your belief in what is […]

What a Character!

What a Character!

What do you like most about the books you enjoy? Is it the setting, that intriguing plot, or, is it the characters?  Thinking back on my favorite stories, I remember the characters. When I read each of the books, those characters became alive to me. They weren’t words on paper; they were living, moving, thinking, […]

Acting Out of Character

Acting Out of Character

One of the most fun things about writing cozy mysteries is creating characters and developing those characters into becoming. Becoming what, you may ask. Becoming real in the mind of the writer and reader.  Oh, I enjoy manufacturing a plot with plenty of chills and setting the whole thing down in a place that may […]

Portrait of an Unforgettable Character

Portrait of an Unforgettable Character

Painting a Memorable Portrait I love the people I love because of who they are. I don’t love them because of their looks or their clothes or the car they drive. I don’t love them because of any of the outward trappings I can see; I cherish them because of their inner essence, the real […]

What An Interesting Character!

What An Interesting Character!

“Character is much easier kept than recovered,” Thomas Paine said. But, what is character? Personality is who people think you are; character is the real you. Character is all your deeply-held beliefs, your goals, your standards, the things that make you laugh or cry; your hates, your loves, your fears, your belief in what is […]

Inaudible Voices, Invisible Friends

Inaudible Voices, Invisible Friends

I saw a cartoon on Facebook something to the effect of authors talking to the characters in their books. Of course we do! I just hope nobody hears me sitting at my computer holding a conversation with an invisible person who speaks with a voice that is inaudible to everyone but me. Me: Ned, I don’t believe you […]