Guest Blogger: Author Karen Fritz on Characters

Today I'd like to welcome North Carolina author Karen Fritz, author of Blind Vision, who talks about the importance of interesting characters. If you leave a comment or ask Karen  a question, your name will be entered for a free copy of Blind Vision - paperback or Kindle, winer's choice!
~ Sheila

How I Developed My Main Character

by Karen Fritz

I love books. Specifically, I love books with well developed characters. There is no other feeling I can think of that compares to when you connect with a character in a good book; that exquisite feeling that comes from being emotionally invested. That is totally what attracts me to writing. I love when a character jumps in my head and takes over. They decide what they are going to look like and what happens next. I’m just along for the ride.
 

In my book, Blind Vision, the protagonist Peter Cole, is blind, in his early twenties and still living at home with his mother. Realizing if he’s ever going to have a chance at a normal life, he has to move out of his mother’s house. Peter makes the move and of course that’s when his world is completely turned upside down. When I first started writing Blind Vision, it was important for me that the reader was able to see Peter grow from being an insecure, self-centered boy into a strong self assured man. I can’t tell you how pleased I was when I received a letter from one of my beta readers who said, "At first, I didn’t like Peter. Then I realized what you were doing. You were growing him into this wonderful man." That thrilled me. I had accomplished one of my personal goals for the book. 

Another of my goals was that the reader would become invested in my characters. In Blind Vision, Detective Joe Carson’s wife was able to encourage the ire of a friend of mine. She called me after reading the book and invited me to lunch. We met the next day. Soon after ordering our food she started in on Emily Carson. As a cop’s wife herself, my friend was appalled by the behavior of Carson’s wife. Boy was she ticked. She had connected on an emotional level with the Detective’s wife.

As writers, we need to aspire to bring our readers to the edge of their proverbial seats. We need to make them care about the characters in our books. We owe it to them. Readers need to enjoy the ups and downs of our characters, share in their tears and joys. It’s our job to breathe life into our creations. When the reader reads that final word and closes the book, we should want them to feel just a touch of sadness that the story ended. When that happens, we know we have done our job well.




Karen Fritz lives in North Carolina with her husband, two daughters and two dogs. Blind Vision is her debut novel. She is currently working on her second novel, Crossroads. Learn more at www.karenfritzbookz.com

Thank you, Karen. I thought I'd provide titles of a few books that may be helpful for writers creating characters.  ~ Sheila

• Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints by Nancy Kress
• Writer's Guide to Character Traits by Dr. Linda Edelstein
• 45 Master Characters by Victoria Schmidt
• The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden

Please come back for Writing on Wednesday --  I'll be talking about keeping balance in a busy writer's world.