NaNoWriMo Author Advice: Day Thirteen

It’s day thirteen of National Novel Writing Month. Today, Michele Gorman, the author of Single in the City and Christmas Carol, talks about recurring characters…

Hi Laura, thanks for asking me on the blog today, and best of luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo!

Writing recurring characters is a bit like visiting an old friend. Of course you love her, but you also know all about her flaws. And so do your fans.

Plus: You already know the character. This makes it easy to put her into a new situation and know how she’ll behave.

Minus: You already know the character. It can be difficult to sustain your enthusiasm for the book over 80,000-100,000 words.

Plus: Your fans already know the character. This makes them more likely to give the book a try (assuming they liked her!)

Minus: Your fans already know the character… so as much as you might wish for her to behave differently in the new book, she’s a creature of habit and you’ll need to stay true to her personality. I despaired of Hannah’s behaviour by book three (in the Single in the City series). I wanted to knock some sense into her, but she was a ditz, and it would have been odd if she’d suddenly started making sensible decisions in her love life!

I probably will write a recurring character again. For example, I love the main character in my latest novella, Christmas Carol (think Dickens with better shoes) – she’s sharp and funny and smart yet vulnerable. And I feel like she’s not yet finished with her story.

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.