NEWSFLASH: 11 January 2004

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You don't realize it, but you're holding your breath. Something's going to happen. Something big! You just saw Jane Protagonist's fiancé slip something into her drink. But he's deeply in love with her...or so you thought!

What did he slip into drink? And why? What's he up to?

Scene after scene, he keeps dropping something into her drink, and you're becoming more and more confused. He's also meeting with a female colleague of hers in secret. Who is she? Why are they meeting like this? What's going on? Now he's luring her younger brother to a upscale hotel, claiming he has urgent news. But he's never met her brother. What could he possibly have to tell him? What?! What?! What?!

Has a book ever filled you with such anticipation? Have you ever stayed up hours past your bedtime to finish a book? Have you ever turned pages so quickly you ended up with a nasty paper cut? Or, called your mother in wee hours of morning to tell her that she must read that book?

Why did that book make such a big impact on you? Quite possibly, it had to do with two things: engaging characters and a carefully constructed plot. Both are crucial to makings of a great novel.

CREATING CHARACTERS

Your characters must be intriguing and memorable. But, most important, they must be worth caring about. After all, if I don't care what happens to Jane Protagonist, no matter how horrible her fiancé is to her, how twisted relationship is between him and brother, or how much care author took to develop a winning plot, I'll lose interest.

In his book, Characters and Viewpoint (Writer's Digest Books, 1999), author Orson Scott Card explains that vivid and memorable characters aren't born: they have to be made. And it's your job to make them both vivid and memorable. If you don't do it, who will?

Use description to paint clear pictures of your characters. How much description or type you use, depends on your writing style and genre for which you write, but you must paint a clear picture for your reader. This is crucial!