Welcome to my stop on author E.E.
West's Virtual Book Tour for A Canter of the
Heart, presented by Reading
Addiction Book Tours, from February 14 - March 14, 2014. Please leave
a comment or question for E.E. to let her know you stopped by. You can
enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.
You can also follow the rest of the tour here.
Online Dating and the Art of Character Development by E. E. West
Online Dating and the Art of Character Development by E. E. West
“Getting
to know you, getting to know all about you...” Go ahead, sing along, you know
you want to, after all, who can resist a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. If
you can't remember the tune then schedule a date – just you and your main
characters – for a night out to see 'The King and I.' After all, you'll
probably learn more about them that way than by sitting there and staring at
that blank piece of paper.
The
truth is, compelling characters make compelling novels, and until you truly get
to know your main characters, you may find your novels... for lack of a better
word... lacking. But don't fret, creating unforgettable characters is as easy
as online dating – at least they're a lot alike. Actually, this is where
character development, and online dating, can both become quite fun! Shall we
begin?
I
start by setting up a free email account for each of my main characters, and
then do the same with a free online dating service. Keep in mind that this is,
no doubt, frowned upon by service providers, so, as far as you know, I'm only
using this as an example of a unique way to build great thee-dimensional
characters for your book, and, if you ever were to do this, make sure you
delete the account when you're done, otherwise, when your book takes off, these
accounts will probably get more email and winks than Brad Pitt on steroids.
Now
for the fun part, simply fill in the blanks: relationship, height, body type
and so on until you've finished. Don't
forget to add a headline, and he or she should write a few paragraphs on who
they're looking for. It's also interesting to fill out the details on who
they're looking for. Of course, if your main character is married than you will
need to improvise, but I'm sure you get the idea.
While
this is a great mental exercise to help humanize your characters, it is by no
means a complete set of attributes to round them out. Here is an additional
list of questions to help you interview your characters, and to help get you,
and your character, headed in the right direction: Where were you born? Where
did you grow up? Where are you living now? Married or single? Any children?
What do you do for a living? Any military service? Have you been arrested or
convicted? Do you have an accent, tattoos, scars? Do you use slang? Any
handicaps? Character defects? Pet peeves? Motivations and ambitions? Traumas
that haunt or drive you forward? How do you dress? Who do you idolize? What are
your favorite sights, sound, smells or favorite foods, do you mind being
touched? Do you like or love animals? What climates do you prefer? And the list
goes on and on, but one last thing you might ask yourself is: Do you like them,
and will your readers root for them? If
your characters are not likeable, and your readers can't bring themselves to
care for them then you may have a problem, but keep in mind that there is a
completely different science for making the morally bankrupt or otherwise
reprehensible character likeable in the eyes of your readers.
Have
fun, and keep on writing.
E.
E. West.
A Canter of the HeartBy E.E. WestPublisher: D. A. RobinsonRelease Date: December 15, 2013Genre: Contemporary RomanceLength: 315 PagesASIN: B00GW39FA0Buy Links: Amazon │Barnes & Noble │Smashwords
About the book:
A beautiful Australian para-equestrian, Eleanor, is rudely awakened the morning after her twentieth birthday to face two pressing problems: the first, though she refuses to accept it, is that she's been told by many acquaintances and relations that she'll never find true love, and the second being, though she doesn't know it yet, that she can't even get up the steps to visit the blasted night-club with her mates! What no one knows is that one random act of chivalry, at the hands of a handsome American naval flight officer, is about to turn her world upside down. The heartfelt and sometimes harrowing journey that follows is as humorous as it is inspirational.
A Canter of the Heart is the romance of a new millennium, a story that you've never heard before, and one that should take its place amongst the iconic romances of our time. But most importantly, it is a romance that will speak, most unapologetically, to your heart. A Canter of the Heart is the first book in ‘The Equestrian and the Aviator’ trilogy that sets our intrepid heroine on the journey of a lifetime. The first thing that you will no doubt discover is that Eleanor, fickle girl that she is, has already found the love of her life – her inspiring love of horses.
This trilogy is based on a true story, and is a testament to the therapeutic riding programs offered by the Riding for the Disabled Association of Australia. It is dedicated to the many remarkable, selfless people who made and continue to make those programs possible.
About E.E. West
I've
been a resident of the Pacific Northwest for the better part of two decades,
and blithely accept life in the shadows of the nesting grounds of bald eagles
while ensconced amidst the company of wild, damp and understandably nervous
bunnies. I prefer to write at the dining room table, where the light is better
and I can work next to Simon, the sweetest one hundred and twenty pound
Rottweiler that you're ever likely to meet -- except when he's in the mood to
editorialize, which he is only on rare occasions. I much prefer to write love
stories that take place in warm, sunny and exotic locales as I admire and rate
the latest downpour direct from the Pacific Northwest's over-active convergence
zone, but in my heart I will forever be drawn back to the lucky country...
Australia... and maybe one more lovely canter along an endless beach.
Website: EEWest.com
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