  Noticing Newbies
This week: Know your characters. Edited by: ~ Santa Sisco ~  
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Hello, everyone. I am ~ Santa Sisco ~ . I'm one of the three permanent editors of the Noticing Newbies newsletter.
I aim to ensure you have a smooth transition into the site. I still remember my first day here. "Bitem?" Do I have to be a computer programmer to put my writing on here?  Forty-eight hours later, I realized it was a case of easy when you know how!. My biggest mistake when I joined was that I didn't take the time to read the "Writing.Com 101" . I was excited and wanted to do everything the same day. Sound familiar? 
You will see my contributions every four weeks, and I hope they help you with using this great site.
My fellow permanent editors are Tornado Dodger  and Sara♥Jean .
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It’s never too early to start creating your characters.
One question I always ask myself when I read a story is, “Does the author know his/her characters?” If I enjoy a story, it would have believable characters in it. Sometimes, a potentially great story is ruined by the presence of characters who apparently live on paper only. So even f you haven’t written a story or novel yet, it isn't too early to start developing your characters.
The easiest way, and probably the best, it to make character profiles. If you look on the web, you will find many different templates for profiles. I personally use three different types of profiles.
Basic: This is a simple paragraph detailing appearance, relevance, and where he/she could be used. This could be someone like a mailman/woman who is delivering a special parcel.
Medium: I use a character profile template for these characters. I think of them as supporting actors in a movie. They can appear repetitively in a story, so I need to be consistent with their descriptions, mannerisms, and anything else that protects the continuity of the story. I will add a brief note to explain why they want to help the protagonist/antagonist, or why they want to have a conflict with them. NOTE: I use the main characters profiles for these characters and just leave out the very detailed information. Why? You will probably find one of these characters will develop into a protagonist/antagonist at some point. This happened to me in my novel when a simple news reporter became a main protagonist. 
Main: This is for the protagonists and antagonists. These profiles include such details as the schools attended, first love, any previous employment, loves, and hates. I add mannerisms, attitude, and any special features, abilities, and disabilities. E.g., If he has asthma, I will record what inhalers he uses and how often. Such details may never be disclosed in my novel, but it helps me to understand the character and their limitations. A good place to get ideas for characters was covered in one of my previous newsletters. "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (February 1, 2017)"
What makes them want to get out of bed in the morning? What makes them not want to get out of bed? If I know what makes them tick, I can identify what needs to change so they don’t function very well. If I know what really troubles them, I can outline a journey for them to change.
If you know your characters well enough, and you have given them mannerisms that readers can identify with, you will find that writing about them will be much easier than trying to make everything up as you write. You can concentrate on the story and what the character would do in that situation, and I’m sure you must have heard at least one writer say the character changed an aspect of the story while the author was writing it. It does happen!
Have fun watching your characters grow!
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This week I have chosen a selection from read a newbie.
Community > Read a Newbie
Selections:
| |  | SoulSeeker (E)
The toll our soul and body takes from the painful things we bottle within
#2156284 by Eric  |
| | | A bug (E)
a bug who likes to roam and be free
#2156343 by Bahati |
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2156226 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2156196 by Not Available. |
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Noticing Newbies: April 25, 2018 Issue [#8872]
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