Saturday 24 May 2014

Piecing Together The Jigsaw: Creating Strong Characters



"I like the idea of being strong. I've grown up with the concept. It's in my bones and my blood. Strong people survive. They don't go under."
         

 So speaks 18 year old Annie, the heroine of my ebook Jigsaw Pieces. The book has just been nominated for the eFestival of Words in the YA Category My genre is Historical Crime Fiction both adult and YA, and for me, there are two ingredients that go to make up a successful book in this genre. The first, clearly, is a crime of some sort. In Jigsaw Pieces, set in 1998, it is the mysterious death of one of Annie's fellow students. The suicide of Grant Penney is based on a real event: I was training to be a teacher at a secondary school when one of the pupils unexpectedly committed suicide over the weekend. The beginning of the book mirrors exactly the events and emotions of that time.
         
The second ingredient is a strong female protagonist. So what makes a strong character? Well, it's not enough just to tell readers they are strong. Strong characters have to demonstrate their strength in various ways, generally by being pitted against challenging events, or other characters. They have to stand out, or stand back from the rest of the crowd. Annie is taken from her birthplace, Norway, and dumped in an English school. This immediately makes her ''different' from her contemporaries, and she has to develop a carapace to survive the daily bullying. Through her determination we learn how strong characters function and survive in difficult situations.
         
But strength can be shown in softness: Annie 's compassionate side is made clear when she bonds with the mute World War 1 veteran Billy Donne, whom she meets in a nursing home (another character based on real life). Strong characters must also have faults: Annie is far too quick to rush to judgement and jump to conclusions. The reader warms to characters with an inner fault line. Maybe because they are a little like us?
           
At the end of Jigsaw Pieces, Annie discovers that there remains a vital piece of the Jigsaw missing from her life - she needs to explore her relationship with her missing father and resolve the unanswered questions his departure has caused. And here we see the final ingredient of a strong character - there must always be a sense that there is more to be grasped, new and different conflicts to be overcome.
         
 For a strong character, the journey is never complete; there is always another story waiting to be told. I love writing strong female characters like Annie because they are so multifaceted and complex. They challenge me and push me to my limits. I hope they do the same for my readers as well.


If you would like to read a sample of Jigsaw Pieces, you can do so HERE


14 comments:

  1. I loved Jigsaw Pieces and Annie was a character I bonded with straight away - different, but still real (if that makes sense!) Does this mean that there's another story about Annie in the making?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved this story too, and would love Annie to have another adventure!
    Please think about it Carol, she is such a strong, likeable character...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great post Carol, I like a good strong female character, like Jo in Dimond's and Dust, you do it so well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the supportive remarks..maybe there will be another book..who knows...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I haven't read Jigsaw Pieces but I have read and relished the strength of particular characters I encountered within the well fingered folds of Diamonds and Dust. I'm quite sure that Jigsaw Pieces holds characters of similar determined constitution and that consequently, as with myself and D&D, your readers will be desperate for their next fix! *twitch*.....Congratulations with your nomination and the punchiness of your characterisation.....get down wid ya bad self......<<<It's the Hedges rap )..:D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoy your deeply felt critical approaches to my work....and the erudite and stylish way in which you express them in concise prose. Mad Wazzock!

      Delete
    2. LOL, I know if I read this blog on Saturday morning I'll have a smile on my face for a while. You two (the Abbott and Costello of the internet!) make getting out of bed, worthwhile! :)

      Delete
    3. We may have to charge.. thanks Hap

      Delete
  6. I love Annie. You're great at writing strong characters. Mine can turn into wimps if I'm not careful. Fingers crossed for the award!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You know I love it and why…nuff said. It's a very, very special book xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I owe the nomination to you, I shall take this opportunity of saying a massive THANK YOU!

      Delete
  8. Congrats, Carol, on the nomination, well done you! Annie sounds like a great character, and your readers have clearly bonded with her.You've explained her qualities beautifully - but I'd be interested to know how you came up with the character of Annie - do you build your characters bit by bit, or do they come fully formed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Teagan...and you have raised an interesting query...food for thought any possibly a future blog post.

      Delete

So here's your chance! Talk to me. Comments will be visible after moderation.