Bringing Your Characters to Life

Have you ever read a book or story where the characters were so alive that you felt like you were there in the middle of them? How did the writer do that?

The hard part is to change a rag doll into a person. I have post-it notes around my computer with descriptions of the characters and their family. That way I am always sure that Susie has blond hair and blue eyes and a pug nose. Then when I can visualize her, I can write with actions.

Think about what you would do in a situation. I can look out my kitchen window at the hill behind the house or I can daydream as I watch the grove of dogwoods with their puffy white blooms wave in the breeze. Which comes to life? I can see the dogwoods as they start to bloom. I know they are there and they come to life.

I go back and look at my work to see how I have made the characters come to life. Are they puppets or real people? You can do the same thing, just make the character come to life in your eyes.