Stephen King wrote more than horror stories. He was a high-school English teacher in his prime and later wrote more than a few books on writing: Danse Macabre; On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft; and Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing. Somebody who is a constant million-seller must be doing something right. Right?

I think the most important lesson I garnered from reading these three books was this:

Develop your characters first.

That’s not pick a name, age and circumstance, that’s develop your characters. One at a time.

I know horror is not everyone’s cuppa, but please bear with me.

I was always amazed reading Stephen King’s books because his characters became instant “family.” How could he possibly have known that one guy who lived around the corner from me when I lived on Peter Street in Renfrew, Ontario—the Ottawa Valley, Booniesville—back in the 1950s? Stephen King lived in Maine! The United States. Impossible?

Nope.

People are inherently similar way down deep inside behind the skin and the cultural and religious programming. And I think I’ve discovered how to get in there with my own characters.

Oh. What does Stephen King do after he has his characters developed? He creates a “situation” in their community and then drops everybody in. And all Hell breaks loose. Literally sometimes.

In my non-fiction book, How to Write a Book: Park It, Get to Work (originally published as Really Stupid Writing Mistakes: How to Avoid Them), I mention the recommended benefits of asking your character questions. Here are some random links:

Each of these links holds valuable information for any writer.

Now here’s another trick I use: I do an Astrology Chart for my main characters and often choose at least a Sun Sign for minor characters. Why? Because I know how. Back in the 1960s, when New Age thinking became all the rage, my sister and I studied Astrology with a passion. And we got really good at it.

I’m not talking about, “Oh, he’s a Virgo so he’s really picky about stuff.” I’m talking about the placements of aaaallll the Planets in aaaallll the Houses of the Chart.

Wait. Wait. Don’t run away screaming just yet.

An author doesn’t have to believe in any of this. Nor does an author have to spend hours and days and weeks and months and years on end studying Astrology.

No. For a small fee (in Canadian dollars), I’ll do an easy-to-use synopsis of two characters at a time, just for you. Aren’t I nice?