Characters All Around You

Hi there. I thought this time I would focus on finding characters when writing. There are so many different ways to develop characters. You can start with what you see in your eye and there is also outlining. As for me, I love monitoring the people around me. It is interesting what quirks you find in the everyday people that surround you. Little things such as personal ticks, tilts of the head and even a crooked smile, can bring your character to life and make them more attractive to your reader. No one is perfect, not even the super skinny super model. There is always something you can pull from nearby. Here are some that pull from.

1. Chain smoker - Oh my gosh, I worked with someone who smoked constantly and she had this thing like she would go out of her mind if she didn't get another drag. Then to top that off, she always had a large 32 oz insulated cup of coffee. She always kept it filled and drank on it all day. Loud perfume and a very loud personality to top it off and there ya go. 

2. The Bitch Diva - I use the term Bitch in a loving way. This lady is always on her game and will chew a man to pieces. Her clothes, hair and nails are always done and there is usually a smile on her face because someone else is picking up the check. Selfish, yes, but very much a lover of the church and is a true believer. She loves her family, but they tend to use her. But when it is time for her to wild out, she don't play.

3. You Can't Out Do Me - We all know someone like this. This person believes in what they say only. The one I know has a commanding presence as if they should be the center of attention. However, deep down there is a ton of insecurity and pain.

4. I'm the man - Pick anyone you know. This can be male or female. The one I am thinking of thought he hung the moon and stars and felt that just because he looked like a Backstreet Boy, he had it going on. By the way, he was about 5"6 which made him smurf like to me.

Anyway these are some of my favorites. Take your time and observe the folks around you and I guarantee you will find a plethora of characters to mame, fall in love with, hate, adore or kill in your next book.