Lance Charnes
For my principal characters, I start by figuring out what they have to be able to do (and not do) in the story they'll live in. They'll need certain skills or experiences that will eventually allow them to get through the plot, or to fail in a way that's useful to me. Then I figure out what kind of personal history will give them (or not give them) these skills or experiences. BTW, this goes for the villains, too; I try to make my bad guys real people rather than Snidely Whiplash. The best villain thinks he's the hero, and could be under other circumstances.
I'm not a fan of superheroes or the hypercompetent demigods that stock so many thrillers now. I'm much more interested in what a fairly normal person will do in the circumstances I'm throwing at them. My protagonists tend to have relatively normal day jobs and usually have families; I think this makes them more relatable, and that readers will become more invested in them because it's easier for the readers to see themselves in the characters.
I like strong, self-reliant women and tend to put them in my novels. Each hero gets a heroine who's a more-or-less equal partner. If there's rescuing to be done, it's as likely she will rescue him as vice versa. This means the women often get non-traditional backgrounds as well as the men: Miriam in Doha 12 was in the Israeli Border Police in her youth; Nora in South was a former Army MP and an FBI agent; and The Collection's Carson is a disgraced Toronto cop.
I also aim toward the middle as far as looks go, too. You won't find very many ravishingly beautiful women or drop-dead handsome men in my books, and they'll never be the heroes or heroines. Again, it's relatability: a female reader is going to be able to get behind a female character who's "attractive" or "pleasant-looking" a lot faster than one who's a bombshell, and I for one am way over male characters who are so devastatingly good-looking that every woman who sees them immediately drops her drawers. It just ain't real, folks.
People who read my books often comment on how real the characters seem, and some readers get particularly attached to one or more of them. I caught some flak for the way South ended because of this, for instance. I like to think it's because I build my characters from the inside out and try to make them as normal as possible for the story.
My characters aren't usually doubles for real people, but I do keep in mind who I'd cast in their roles in the movie or TV series based on the story. None of the male characters are me; sometimes they share one or more of my tastes or interests.
I hope that answers your question. If not, let me know. Thanks for asking!
I'm not a fan of superheroes or the hypercompetent demigods that stock so many thrillers now. I'm much more interested in what a fairly normal person will do in the circumstances I'm throwing at them. My protagonists tend to have relatively normal day jobs and usually have families; I think this makes them more relatable, and that readers will become more invested in them because it's easier for the readers to see themselves in the characters.
I like strong, self-reliant women and tend to put them in my novels. Each hero gets a heroine who's a more-or-less equal partner. If there's rescuing to be done, it's as likely she will rescue him as vice versa. This means the women often get non-traditional backgrounds as well as the men: Miriam in Doha 12 was in the Israeli Border Police in her youth; Nora in South was a former Army MP and an FBI agent; and The Collection's Carson is a disgraced Toronto cop.
I also aim toward the middle as far as looks go, too. You won't find very many ravishingly beautiful women or drop-dead handsome men in my books, and they'll never be the heroes or heroines. Again, it's relatability: a female reader is going to be able to get behind a female character who's "attractive" or "pleasant-looking" a lot faster than one who's a bombshell, and I for one am way over male characters who are so devastatingly good-looking that every woman who sees them immediately drops her drawers. It just ain't real, folks.
People who read my books often comment on how real the characters seem, and some readers get particularly attached to one or more of them. I caught some flak for the way South ended because of this, for instance. I like to think it's because I build my characters from the inside out and try to make them as normal as possible for the story.
My characters aren't usually doubles for real people, but I do keep in mind who I'd cast in their roles in the movie or TV series based on the story. None of the male characters are me; sometimes they share one or more of my tastes or interests.
I hope that answers your question. If not, let me know. Thanks for asking!
More Answered Questions
J.
asked
Lance Charnes:
I wonder if any other readers had comments about the way you handled the viewpoint shifts during the action scenes where there were multiple characters involved, i.e. the separations using mark to note changes. If so, was it well received? I thought it worked well but not sure what the general consensus might be. Thanks for your time.
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