Crime author Pauline Rowson talks about the relationship she has with her characters
The relationship between writers and their characters takes
many forms. For me some characters I have created are irritating, others
entertain me. Some make me feel cuddly and comfortable, while others I
positively loath. And some I love, especially my flawed and rugged
detective, Andy Horton. I even like my alpha male, Detective
Superintendent Steve Uckfield,
head of the Major Crime Team, with all his irritating and course habits
whereas DCI Lorraine Bliss, Andy’s immediate boss, I (and my readers)
find a
pain in the proverbial.
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Then there is former Royal Marine Commando Art
Marvik now an undercover investigator for the National Intelligence
Marine Squad (NIMS), tough, resourceful, fit, able to operate outside
the law if it means he gets the baddie, but troubled and trying to find
his way in civilian life. He's a fairly new kid on the block with two
missions to his name, namely Silent Running and Dangerous Cargo. He
will appear in two more missions, one that concerns his past and his
parents' deaths in 1997, killed in an underwater earthquake off the
Straits of Malacca.
Whatever the
relationship between the creator and characters though it should never be dull.
It’s easy to become a little bit obsessed with your characters.
Oh, alright very obsessed and more so when writing a series because the main
cast of characters are with me all the time, they are as much part of my life
as real people, they occupy my thoughts throughout the day, but strangely enough
I never dream of them. Perhaps there is some hope for me yet and I’m not about
to be carted off to the insane asylum.
I think about my characters a great deal. Where are they?
What will they do next? How will they
react to this or that situation? What is
happening in their private lives as well as in the job? What is their relationship with their
colleagues? This is all good stuff because their actions, feelings and
motivations drive the plot, which can be annoying especially if I think I’ve
got the plot line all nicely worked out. They can have the habit of taking me right
off track even to the extent that often I thought I know who ‘done it’, why and
how, only to discover the killer is someone completely different. Do I hear the distant siren of an ambulance approaching?
Thinking about your characters is not the same as thinking
about your ‘real’ friends or the people you know because with your characters
you are creating their lives, although they do often have a habit of doing
something that surprises you. Marvik is not bound by the law or police
procedure so he can push the boundaries. But Andy also frequently operates outside
the law, much to the annoyance of DCI Lorraine Bliss. In ‘real life’ Andy
would probably either have been promoted or kick out of the police force by
now! But, hey, this is fiction.
So before you call for the men in white coats I assure you I
am quite sane, well as sane as any writer (and especially a crime writer can be
– after all we kill people for a living).
Creating characters and their lives
is a fascinating game, as many children know from their play, and perhaps
that's what a lot of us writers are - kids at heart. It’s either that or we’re closet
villains or psychopaths. I know what I prefer, I leave you to make up your own
mind.
LEAVE A BOOK REVIEW ON AMAZON
If you've enjoyed reading my crime novels please do tell others, we'd also love for you to leave a short review or rating on Amazon as it all helps to introduce the novels to new readers.
Where to buy
Pauline Rowson's books USA
Pauline Rowson's books UK
From your local bookshop
Also available as an ebook and on Amazon Kindle, Kobo and for loan from UK, USA, Irish and Commonwealth libraries
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