Author shares recipe for cooking up great story characters
Leslie Budewitz loves good food, cooking, mystery stories and life in the Northwest. She has combined these passions into the creation of two cozy mystery series, the Spice Shop mysteries, set in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village mysteries, set in Northwest Montana.
But as engaging as a novel’s setting or theme may be, it is the characters that carry us through a story and remain with us long after the final page. According to Budewitz,
“No matter what type of fiction you’re writing — crime fiction, romance, women’s fiction, or mainstream novels — the best plots flow from the characters. Even in a mystery or a thriller, where the plot is critical to the success of the story, the characters are the key.” And this is especially true when reading a fiction series.
But what are the ingredients needed to create characters that readers will actually care about?
Budewitz will answer this question when she presents her program, “Building Character,” at the Writers of Kern monthly meeting on Sept. 19. In this presentation writers will “dive in” and explore:
Several methods for the creation of coherent, consistent and credible story people;
Identify essential characteristics of a good character;
Discover what makes
nnntheir characters “tick”;
How to use description of physical characteristics, social standing, personality; and
How to use your own life experience to “deepen the people on the page.”
Budewitz is the author of 10 published novels and more than a dozen short stories. This year she has published her first standalone suspense novel, Bitterroot
nnLake, followed by her tenth cozy mystery, The Solace of Bay Leaves.
You can find out more about Budewitz and her works at lesliebudewitz. com/. This event will be presented free of charge and entirely online via Zoom. To register, please go to: https:// writersofkern.com/events/
Susan Baker is a member of Writers of Kern.