My Favorite Stories and Characters to Write

I generally write suspense & thriller novels focused on families torn by tragedy and the difficult struggles faced when that familial bond is threatened or broken. As I explained in a different blog about my favorite books growing up, I read a lot of suspense and thrillers. Some of my favorite authors include Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Lee Child, Orson Card Scott, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, David Baldacci, and Harlan Coben, to name a few.

I’d like to explore two separate things in today’s blog. The first being, what type of stories do I like to create? And secondly, what types of characters do I like to fill those books with? The foremost addresses the style and genre while the latter focuses on the characters themselves.

Over the past decade as I’ve been honing my craft, I began to wonder what type of writer I was. As I collected more than a handful of manuscripts under my belt, I did an analysis of my writing. I took all my manuscripts and hoped that I could figure out a few things. I wrote down what they were about. Then I wrote down who they were about. Then I took note of the target audience of each. Now, with twenty-one manuscripts written, I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy writing suspense and thrillers. I find it exciting to create a chase, manufacture a conflict, and then let the characters loose and see where they all end up by the last page of the book.

It took a lot of writing to determine what kind of writer I was. Now, keep in mind that although I predominantly write suspense and thrillers, that doesn’t mean that I can’t explore other genres as well. I have one dystopian book already written and another one the way. I also have a mystery who-done-it thriller. And my debut novel, The Lost Demigod, is a young adult fantasy. It is the first in a six-book series titled, Hanna Steele and the Demigod Chronicles.

So, I’ve discussed in detail the type of writer I am. Let’s change gears and discuss the type of characters I fill those books with. Half of my books star a male lead role and the others have strong female protagonists. Most of my books either have a friend, a sidekick, a comedian, or a combination of all three, and most have a romantic interest.

It is important for me to create compelling stories where there are often multiple points-of-view. Often times my leading character has competing points of view from supporting characters. Sometimes it’s from the sidekick, the friend, or the villain. This is an important step as it often gives a different perspective for our protagonist. In my podcast about creating strong characters, I talk about the necessity of having well rounded cast members. It’s important that your characters don’t appear flat to the reader, that they are full-bodied characters with a rich history and personality.

Getting a different perspective, like that from a friend, sidekick, or minor antagonist can help bring the major character’s flaws to life, but also help smooth out any perfectionism so that your protagonist seems real, lifelike, and human. The last thing we want is to have our characters seem superhuman in that they are perfect and that they have no flaws at all. That’s just not realistic, and the reader will pick up on it as the story progresses.

Having unrealistic characters may sour the taste of your story for the reader, and as a result, they may abandon the book instead of finishing it until the end. Even if a reader does finish the book, we would want the reader to feel good about their experience, make positive reviews, and talk about the book with their friends and on social media. So, we would obviously want that to be positive. Creating well rounded and full body characters is a cog in the wheel of doing that. Creating a successful book is more than just having great characters, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Thank you for joining me as I explored my writing journey. Continue reviewing my blogs and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter where I share writing topics, behind-the-scene details, and members-only content. Remember to go over to my media page to watch my podcasts and learn additional content or view them on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. Like and subscribe for more content.