Think about
it. By the time you start writing your
second book in a series you know your reappearing characters very well and so do
your readers. That’s why it’s important
to be consistent with your characters appearances, habits, body language and
idiosyncrasies, not to mention what has happened in their lives previously.
It’s a lot
to remember, isn’t there? The colour of
their eyes, hair, settings they inhabit, people they love, grieve for,
dislike. The list goes on. When you think about it there’s so much that
I, at least, need help. That’s why I
keep a detailed record of each of my characters. Two records, in fact. One for my returning characters which I
update from time to time, depending on what is happening in their lives, and
another for characters who have appeared in a particular book in the series. (You never know when you might want to bring one back!)
There are
many ways you can do this. Having an
index card system, keeping their details in a journal or, as I have
done, creating a table in Word where character details can be listed in their own particular columns. It’s a quick reference point
and easy to add things to.
What are
your methods for keeping track of your characters?
Jill is methodical and it shows in her works. I don't usually read murder mysteries so I was surprised at how quickly Murder At The Rocks grabbed my attention and held it to the very end. I have just started The Celtic Dagger which she wrote first and already knowing some of the characters and how they might act does add to the suspense of trying to figure how who the murderer might be. Jill is very clever though, I already know it is most probably not who I already suspect. Great job Jill!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Crazy Fox, for your kind comments.
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