Welcome to this week's post of the MFRW 52-week challenge. The official topic is about authors write their characters, whether full-figured or always slim. I don't create my characters descriptions. They are who they are. Some, like Murdo from the Windmaster Novels is a giant of a man. Then there is Glyn of the Dragshi Chronicles whofor most of her life impersonated a male. However, I decided to go off-topic on the post and resurrect a June tips from years back. Enjoy.
One thing that is uniform among all genres is backstory. All characters have a past. They may not know it, or we may not want to reveal it, but there is one. While authors sometimes have their characters participate in a well-known event (such as Hurricanes Catrina and Superstorm Sandy or watching a horse race in the Belmont Stakes for the Triple Crown) that is not the only way events, both national and worldwide, can be brought into a character's past.
June 6th is the anniversary of D-Day, the Allied forces invasion of Normandy. For those writing in a future setting, the character could find an ancestor's personal letter written after the event. The loss of a family member as the numbers of the members of the greatest generation dwindle might be another item of backstory. The point is that the character does not have to be the one experiencing the event for it to be part of his or her past.
There doesn't even have to be any personal relationship at all. The character might witness an elderly man riding up the street in a convertible or be stuck at a traffic light as a funeral goes by. An even more haunting usage is to be walking past as cemetery as the bugler plays the final tribute.
As you go through your daily life, keep an eye (or ear) open for celebrations, anniversaries, and commemorations. You never know what will tickle your interest and provide insight into your characters history.
till next time ~ Helen
For more information on D-Day, look up the National World War II Museum or visit dday-overlord.com.
Loved this: "I don't create my characters descriptions. They are who they are." Thank you for sharing such interesting thoughts, Helen!
ReplyDeleteHelen, your perspective is--as always--wonderfully unique. I love it and the way you describe your characters and how they discover their back stories. This post should be widely distributed!
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