Create Entertaining and Memorable Characters by Mystery Suspense Author Douglas Quinn

I was always taught that the three most important components of any work of fiction was, "conflict, conflict, conflict." While it certainly is true that without conflict, you only have, at best, a vignette, a memoir...a non-fiction presentation of some sort, but not a work of fiction–not a real story.

And then, of course, there is the necessary plot line.

That being said, I’ve read works of fiction that have plenty of conflict and a good story line, but the characters were forgettable. If the characters are forgettable, then the book itself becomes forgettable. I’m sure some will disagree with me, but in my mind, it is the characters who are the most important element of fiction.

My feelings about this were validated after I found book reviewers spending time in their reviews talking about my characters.

About the characters in The Catalan Gambit one reviewer said, "The main characters are all presented in impressive fashion, allowing the reader a necessary perception into their feelings, loyalties, commitments and–thus–rationales. I wasn’t a big fan of Henry Ellis (the protagonist) early on, as he berated the lack of responsiveness by the government, but once he arrived on Spanish soil he became a hero in every sense of the word."

When you develop fictional characters, they cannot be unidimensional. No one is all good or all bad. At some point in our lives, most of us are carrying emotional baggage. As writers, we should look upon this as an opportunity to remove it from ourselves and give it to our characters. It’s not only cathartic, but it helps to make our characters the interesting people they need to be.

We must create characters who will give our readers an emotional ride. It doesn’t matter if they love them, hate them, feel sorry for them, are frustrated by them, or wish they could be like them. For me, creating Henry Ellis was like riding on a roller coaster. He is a complex character. Readers were annoyed by him, then admired him, then were wondering if they would have made the same decisions he’d made. The readers may forget the story in The Catalan Gambit, but not Henry Ellis.

About the heroine in The Spanish Game, the reviewer said, "Jennifer (Ellis) is a tough, gritty heroine who isn’t afraid to get down and dirty with the bad guys and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her own." Another reviewer said, "I rooted for Henry and Jennifer Ellis the entire time. The love they have for each other is beautiful...."

In this book I wanted the reader to grab on to the Ellis family characters, especially Jennifer Ellis and be there with them through to the end. To do so, I had only to look at my own family and take a bit of personality here, an eye twitch there, and a way of looking at life somewhere else so I could mold these characters from mundane everyday people into characters who had to be heroic just to survive.

Jennifer Ellis was working in a position she enjoyed, but wasn’t sure it was the job to end all in her life. She was struggling with a personal relationship she was unclear about its future. She was a happy person with a past. Her life, and that of her twin brother, had been threatened by terrorists. In the process, she had killed a person. And when the terror returned she, once again, rose to the occasion. Two years later, I still have people asking me, "Will there be another book starring Jennifer Ellis?" Jennifer Ellis: an unforgetable character.

About one of my favorite characters, Webb Sawyer of Blue Heron Marsh, a reviewer said, "He’s not as honorable with women as mystery writer Robert Parker’s Spenser. And he doesn’t have the dry, drunk angst of James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux, but Douglas Quinn’s Webb Sawyer is a memorable man in his own right. ...He’s got Spenser’s witty sarcasm, which keeps the reader entertained. ...Quinn’s ability to craft rich characters, coupled with an entertaining storyline, will have readers looking for book No. 2: Pelican Point."

The key words in the above are "memorable" and "entertaining." This book was written in the first person, which means that, throughout the novel, the readers feel as if Webb Sawyer is talking directly to them. Not simply telling them the story but, along the way, letting them into his life, where he’s been, what he’s done, what he thinks, his view of life, how he deals with his problems, sometimes well, sometimes not. He’s a complex man whose depths will continue to be plumbed as more Webb Sawyer mysteries unfold. And readers want more of Webb and his friends. How do I know? I get mail.

In conclusion, as a writer, in addition to providing an entertaining story line with tension and conflict isn’t enough. You need to create interesting, and memorable characters. If you do, long after the your novels are written, published and read, your readers will still be discussing and talking about the characters you’ve given to them.

Good luck with developing your own characters. I’ll be looking for them on the bookshelves and online. Good writing to you all.

—Douglas Quinn

This is the second article in Douglas Quinn’s four week Virtual Book Tour, which began on Sunday, January 13^th, 2008. Check the Official Douglas Quinn Web Site for details and the schedule. Douglas Quinn encourages your interaction and participation in this tour and with this article in particular. If you are a member of a group or a blog where this article is posted, please direct your comments and questions for Douglas Quinn through the group and/or blog and he will, in turn, answer you in general and/or in person. Douglas Quinn looks forward to your active participation.

To find out more about Douglas Quinn and his work you may go to his Web Site at www.douglasquinn.com, at his Crimespace Page at www.crimespace.ning.com/profile/obxwriter and at his Gather Page at www.obxwriter.gather.com.

Blue Heron Marsh and other books by Douglas Quinn may be ordered through retail book stores and online via www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and other online booksellers.