Character Descriptions

I had a friend read my book for me. (I had a few people read it for me). They read them for different reasons. Advice, feedback, grammar, and just to see if people like it. (Thank goodness, the liking it feedback has so far been good).

This particular friend pointed out that half way through the novel she realised instead of knowing what the main character looked like, she just compared her to me. I did not really do many descriptions for my characters. I'm much better at the dialogue than descriptions. I've decided to change that. I'm going to do some character descriptions here. (Even though the plot isn't included). Once I figure out what all these fully developed characters look like (I already know personality traits), I can add the details slowly to my book.

This process is getting long but that's because I am anxious to finally have a finished product. I'm actually really excited to make those changes, and work on others that she suggested I take a look at. I love the idea of making something I already like even better.

Something good about this experience is that I will learn from it for my next novel. As soon as a character introduces itself I can work on a description of personality and physical description. (On a separate character list).

Well - not that slowly, I need to send it in to a publisher before April 30th.

I guess this makes my post a bit of a novel teaser? It'll give me practice writing about my novel even though I'm not talking plot yet. I'm not going to do all of the characters in one post. I'm starting with my top four. I will do the rest later.

So, here they are:

Lucy Avery (Luce): She's the main character. She is a real estate agent, but has a BA in History. She's shorter with long blond hair. Thinner body type -she goes to the gym so keeps in shape. She's dedicated to her family and her friends. She's around 30, but not in a relationship. She's the oldest of three, and lives in Saskatoon. She grew up in a smaller town.

Kristy Avery (Kristina) (Kris): This is Lucy's youngest sister. She's 17. She's taller than her sister, with shorter hair. She's thin as well. She's 17, and in her last month of high school. She still lives with her parents. She's been in a serious relationship with her high school boyfriend for many years. She's smart about school and life. She doesn't know what she wants to do with the rest of her life, but is ready for adventure and travel. She's a popular girl in her high school, and thinks she has things figured out. She's the youngest of three, but because the other two are so much older, she's lived alone with her parents for a few years. She gets along with her oldest sister, but fights with the middle brother.

Charlie Avery: He's the middle sibling. Three years younger than Lucy and 10 years older than Kristy. Blond hair, blue eyed, attractive guy. He knows he is. He is in his late 20s, but still enjoys going out with friends and parties. He's single, but dates and sleeps with woman. He gets along well with Lucy, but doesn't get along with Kristy. He sees her as a goody two shoes, and he knows she doesn't love him like the rest of his family. He lives in the same town as his parent, but owns his own house. He didn't go to University, but went to college for a trade. He works in Alberta and travels back and forth for work. He's relies on his humour, but is also condescending and rude to those he doesn't like.

Shauntell Morris (Shaun): She is Lucy's best friend. She's a city girl. She's tall with long red hair. Gorgeous and thin. She is a teacher. She and Lucy have been best friends since University. They know everything about one another. She's in a serious relationship with her boyfriend, but still spends a lot of time with Lucy. She will always be there for Lucy, and listen to her - even if she doesn't always agree with what she's saying.


And those are my first four characters that I'm describing. There will be more to come, I just don't want to roll them all out in the same blog post. I also want to describe the town the parents live in because it's really an important place in the novel. I haven't quite figured out all the details.

Now I have to go work on my actual novel,and take a break from blogging. I still have to catch up on my writing prompts, but that can wait.