by Julie, staying warm in Somerville
I am delighted to welcome K.D. Richards back to the blog today. She writes the West Investigations romantic suspense series. Book 8, A Stalker’s Prey, was released this week.
Character – It’s Personal
I’m often asked whether my story ideas begin with character or plot. To be honest, I’ve had ideas come to be both ways. Sometimes the plot comes first, often driven by an important scene. Other times it’s a character that pops into my head, clear as a bell. But whether the idea for a story starts with plot or character, to me the characters are what really drive the story.
The characters mold the plot. A main character that is outgoing, maybe even a little aggressive, is going to pursue solving a mystery in a much different fashion than a reserved, introverted character. And importantly, they are going to think and feel about things differently. And it’s those thoughts and feelings that make a character believable and relatable.
To me, creating a character that feels real is particularly important in the procedural type novels that I write. It is usually pretty easy to explain why at least one of the protagonists is involved in the mystery. My West Investigations series revolves around a group of private investigators. Of course they find themselves in all kinds of suspenseful investigative situations! But if the only reason the characters are involved in solving the crime is because they are paid, well, that’s not all that interesting is it? Giving the characters a personal motivation, something that goes beyond a paycheck, is what really hooks readers.
In my first novel Pursuit of the Truth, my PI starts investigating when the woman he’s been crushing is almost killed multiple times. In my second novel, another PI at the firm jumps in to help his former flame find her sister. Both, of course, have the skills necessary to do the job in a believable way, but it’s personal, not professional, reasons that really drive their actions and that connect the reader to the character.
Of course there is a lot more that goes into creating well-rounded, believable characters. But if you start with what drives them personally, you’ll be on the right track.
Readers, what do you think is the most important aspect of crafting relatable characters? What draws you into a story?
About the Author
Daphne du Maurier Award finalist, K.D. Richards writes pulse pounding romantic suspense and thrillers. K.D. was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs just outside of Washington, D.C. A writer since a young age, after college she earned a law degree and worked as an attorney and legal instructor for fifteen years but never stopped writing fiction. She currently lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons.
www.instagram.com/kdrichardsauthor
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About the A Stalker’s Prey
Hollywood actress Bria Baker has all that comes with worldwide fame…including a stalker who’s followed her to a New York City film set. To assure her personal protection, the superstar hires bodyguard Xavier Nichols—the man whose heart she once broke. As the stalker’s threats escalate, so do Bria’s feelings for Xavier. But the stalker has a special role for Bria: his and his alone.
The Wickeds 
If it’s believable for them to be involved in investigating, brining in personal aspects of their life. We can relate to what is happening and again, the relationship they have with the other characters.
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Welcome back, KD, and congratulations on the new book! I agree – character is everything. I write three series, and I truly miss the regular gang in the other two when I’m writing a different one. My fans seem to feel the same way.
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Great post! Yes, character is king. I always want a connection to the protagonist when I read. Someone flesh and blood to root for.
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Big time congratulations on your new release, K.D.! For me, a character has to have something about them that makes me root for them. It’s hard to put my finger on the quality, but I know it when I read it.
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Yes, it’s the characters that we fall in love with that makes a story and has us hoping for more books involving them. Personally, I relate to a character if they are believable. That could mean a characteristic that I believe in like being honest or direct or even one that I don’t like but ends in good results like pretending to be what they are not to get to the truth. When it’s a characteristic that we ourselves have, it touches us as if we know exactly how they feel or why they act the way they do – be it something like being shy or determined. It might even be a characteristic that we can’t fathom, like being extremely wealthy without a care in the world, but it’s the author that brings the character to life having us either loving them from the first or warming up to them as the story progresses. So all say, the setting may be wonderful, but it’s the characters that make it a place we would love to visit.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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Congratulations on the new book! I feel the same about Betty, the protagonist in my Homefront series. She’s a PI now, and of course she’s getting paid, but it’s always better when I can give her a personal attachment to the case as well.
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Congratulations on the new release! Characters are the lifeblood in the books I enjoy. Some are quirky, some are serious, and some are fun but they all bring something to the story. Getting to know them as the story unravels makes everything click.
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Welcome back to the Wickeds, K.D.!
It took me a long time in the early days of my writing to understand what you are saying about a personal connection. My first book had a police protagonist. My writers group kept asking me why she was so relentlessly pursuing the case. I would explain it was her job. They would say, “That’s not enough.” I would think, “I don’t know how you do your job, but I am very dedicated to mine.”
Finally, I got it and I worked it out this way. A bunch of cops are in a bar, telling war stories. Why does my protagonist choose this one? The reason you would take up your colleagues’ time telling about a specific case is the same thing that makes it worthy of taking readers’ time with a book.The stakes are high and the characters fascinating, but most of all it’s the one you remember because of its impact on you.
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I am drawn into a story’s character if she is relatable. If she comes across as a real person, not a work of fiction. She may become someone who I would like to be a friend. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
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I am not sure if this will post twice or not. If so, I am sorry. I feel that a character is someone that I can related. She could be someone who I would want to be my friend, or respect. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
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A character’s personal characteristics – ie being clumsy, or making bad coffee every day, etc really pull me into a story and make me interested in the characters. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
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Welcome back and congratulations on the new book!
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