"Short" Can Say More than "Long"

By Elaine L. Orr

In rewriting Fired up and Feisty (first in Shore Shenanigans series), I learned that I had been so anxious to get started on my fun idea I did not probe my characters' motives enough. I did character sketches, but they were more like short bios. They told me what a character did, not who they were or how they fit into the story.

When I realize something like that, I read what others say about writing. This time I came across Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method for designing a novel.

It's an approach to thinking through a novel and its characters before you start writing -- what I often don't seem able to do. Here's how he deals with creating characters.

"Characters are the most important part of any novel, and the time you invest in designing them up front will pay off ten-fold when you start writing. For each of your major characters, take an hour and write a one-page summary sheet that tells:

• The character’s name
• A one-sentence summary of the character’s storyline
• The character’s motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?)
• The character’s goal (what does he/she want concretely?)
• The character’s conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?)
• The character’s epiphany (what will he/she learn, how will he/she change?
• A one-paragraph summary of the character’s storyline."

I took this to heart and began to think short, if you will. My sentence or two for each character does not have a rigid pattern, and I've more to think through.

Broad Theme of Fired Up and Feisty: Simmering resentments during a high school reunion weekend lead to a hotel fire and murder.

Who is in that simmering pot of those who graduated at least 40 years ago?

• Catherine Anderson received a note that said there was more to her sister Lenna's death than a simple car accident. Is it too late to find out?
• Preston McKinley isn't sure he remembers what happened the night of the car accident, but he knows he's guilty of something.
• Retired Police Captain Sandy Cotton had ideas about who was in the car with Lenna but could never prove it.
• Unpopular (and rude) Ben Halperin may be that way for good reasons.
• Ginny Sullivan appears to remember her senior prom fondly, but was it really a good night?
• Harvey Bannon pushed for Achy Breaky Heart to be the talent show entry for the Golden Grads. Does his smart-aleck demeanor hide a broken heart?
• Ethel Collins only left Ocean Alley 5 years ago. Did she stay because she liked it or leave because she didn't?
• Grayson Redmond was class president and is a talented physicist. Why does he seem to be so disliked?
• Audrey McPherson's tightly permed iron gray hair reflects her sour mood.
• Audrey Lawson is a New York City sophisticate who thinks she's better than her classmates.
• Honey blonde Mabel Martin doesn't like to look her age or appreciate Harvey's barbs.

Characters Who Aren't Golden Grads

Though the story takes place in Ocean Alley, New Jersey, it does not feature amateur sleuth Jolie Gentil or her husband Scoobie; they are ancillary characters. Regular characters from the Jolie series have different roles in this series. I'll have more on them in another post.

George Winters thinks he can grow his new firm, Summer and Winters Investigations, if he can help figure out who did what to whom many years ago.

Madge Richards hosts the Golden Grads after the hotel fire. What she hears can help solve the mystery -- and she hopes it will get hem out of her B&B fast.

Harry Steele, Madge's husband, will be more than a pretty face -- but I'm not sure just how he'll go about it.

Jolie Gentil and Scoobie O'Brien serve as occasional listening posts for George, but it's his story.

If it seems like it's taking me a long time to finish this book, you're right. But the second draft will be more fulsome than the first.

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