The Thought Process I Use When Creating A Character~

When I had to come up with something to post this month, I was a bit overwhelmed. With concentrating fully on finishing my next novel ‘Whispers In The Night’ my mind couldn’t think of something unique. So I asked the advice of my dear friend and co-worker. Knowing my personality and thought process extremely well, Amanda suggested I revealed how I develop a character from the beginning. I liked her idea so here goes…

Jordan Pierce

Owner of Tuscany Vineyards

Only Child

Birthplace~ Ocean City, NJ

One October evening, Jordan's life changed forever. A monster destroying all she held dear. Needing to forget the past, she moved to California and launched Tuscany Vineyards. Four years later, she returns home to face her demons. 

 Treasured moments~ Spending quality time with family and friends.

*What you see above is the bio on my web-site for one of my favorite characters from my first novel ‘A Deepened Hunger’.

When I thought about the key attributes of this character, I had a clear vision of how she would be portrayed. First was her appearance, always thinking women with Auburn hair and green eyes are quite stunning her looks were a given. Next I listed her weaknesses and strengths. Women of today are very different from our ancestors—for in this generation our talents are noticed and rewarded. So readers truly relate to business minded successful female characters in novels. But this doesn’t mean they need to be heartless. We all have something from our past we wish we could change or have done differently.

By the time you finish my first book you’ll see many sides of Jordan. Though from a wealthy family, she prided herself on being independent and business savvy. (Since childhood always striving to succeed, I always portray my female characters as such.)  

She, being young and naïve to a point, believing when you marry someone it will last forever. When that life you built together falls apart, and he’s asking for a divorce it changes everything. Some go down a dark path, for Jordan after the shock and hurt she became consumed in her business ventures. This in actuality truly does happen, for it becomes their constant—their safe haven. (I know this to be fact, as I was one of these women focused only on my career for quite some time.)

A few years later another one of life’s unexpected moments causes Jordan to confront her fears. This took a lot of thought wanting to portray and unfold her story with the reader feeling everything she was going through. To accomplish this, I became her in every way (In my mind of course). I tried to imagine what it would be like to be held captive believing your life would end. What one’s mind is thinking—and the terror they must be feeling. That is something, I pray never to experience, and my heart goes out to those who have. At times while writing those chapters, it was heart-wrenching for me to even pen.

Needing closure, Jordan becomes relentless to discover the truth. In doing so, she returns home. The instant she steps off the plane everything she’s left behind—the heartache she’s buried comes rushing back. This sequence had to play out just right. Jordan loved her life in Ocean City until her marriage fell apart. Now four years later, my readers knew Jordan moved past her divorce. Nevertheless, deeply she missed her family and friends more than she realized. Writing the chapters of her return was quite easy, since my entire family resides in NJ and my husband and I in Florida.

I believe as writers, we all put a little something of ourselves in our characters. That is what truly makes what we pen unique… 

I will reveal more on Jordan’s character development on my next blog.

Until next month… thanks for reading!!!

D.A. Berry

My Website: www.daberryauthor.com

My Blog Site: 

http://daberryauthor.wordpress.com/

Coming October 2013 ~

                A Ghostly Murder Thriller...