Now Write! Mysteries by Sherry Ellis

Author:Sherry Ellis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

EXERCISE

Who is in your character’s world?

This will be determined in part by the subgenre of the novel you are writing, the setting, and the plot. Let’s use a police procedural novel as an example. Let’s assume you have a detective protagonist who carries the weight of your story. There are some basic questions you should ask and answer:

How does your detective interact with his coworkers? Is she laid-back, gruff, a wiseass? Why? Is this how she really feels or a cover for other emotions?

Is there someone she dislikes? Why does she dislike this person and how does she respond to him or her?

How does your detective respond to orders from her supervisor? Is she accommodating? Challenging? Disrespectful? Why?

How does your detective respond to victims? Is she empathetic and kind in dealing with some victims? Disdainful of others? Does she despise abusive men because her mother was abused? How does this play out when she has to question an alleged abuser or make an arrest?

What is your detective’s home life like? What does your detective tell the people in her life about her work? What does she keep from them? How does that affect those relationships?

This kind of exercise works for any type of character. Think about who is in his life and why. Think about how the character responds to the different people in his life. Put him with those people and let them interact. Watch what happens. And ask yourself how this affects how the character responds to the crime or mystery that he has to solve, particularly his ability to rise to the challenge.

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