Earlier this year, my husband and I got in character for our neighbor’s “Red” themed party. They’ve been hosting these parties for over three decades and every year they have a different theme. In keeping with the year’s red motif, my husband dressed as Sammy Hagar, aka The Red Rocker, and I went as his groupie, dressed in (mostly) red. Our children were appalled, but our neighbors seemed to appreciate the effort we put into getting in character. 😂
Over the years, I’ve learned how essential it is to immerse myself in the characters I’m writing. While I was writing a historical fiction murder mystery set in an aristocratic home in the late 1800’s, I had to spend a lot of time getting to know my characters. As nobility, I had to understand how they would speak, dress, and even move during that time period. Then I had to get to know them on a personal level. How would they each respond to situations based on their particular personalities? Would they exhibit strength or hysteria when faced with a dead body or a person who had gone missing? Would the enigmatic detective constable look away or would he punish to the fullest extent of the law?
It takes hard work as a writer to get in character for each of the people portrayed in our books – but it’s the hard work we must do if our stories are to have integrity. If we wing it, our readers will know. It is far better to put the effort in rather than settle for a less-than-best story. In the end, readers will appreciate our efforts and will reward us by coming back for each new book we write.
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