9. How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.
It varies as to how I get ideas for my characters...sometimes, it's a character from a book or a movie that sparks an idea...sometimes I dream them up...like Mark. He was totally from a dream...a mixture of a dream and slightly based on Nick Charles from "The Thin Man". I was trying to think of a story idea for NaNoWriMo and my family and I watched one of the "Thin Man" movies, and that's where I got the idea to write a husband-wife detective duo mystery...and so I was going to base the book on Nick and Nora Charles. But then soon after, I had a dream about a young guy named Mark who just seemed like a great sort of character. So, I decided to combine him with Nick Charles and create this whole new character. Evidently, Mark had a mind of his own, because the Nick Charles personality was swept aside and Mark Ingleford became entirely his own person. :)
Sometimes I also base characters on people in my life or people I see on the street, in the library, etc.
Most of the time I just start with thinking of a name for my character...like the process with Teagan. I knew I wanted to write a comedy/modern day story surrounding a young woman. I asked myself, "What sort of girl is she? What sort of name would fit that personality?" And that's how I started. Then I built off from there...I like to come up with a short list of characteristics for each of my main characters. It helps in making the character become what she/he should become. And I also branch off deciding important factors...how many siblings does she have? Who is her best friend? Does she have a boyfriend? Does she have a job? Things that will make an impact on the story...and I'll jot those down, mix and match until I get a clear idea of what my character is like and who she/he will be. It's definitely one of the best parts of planning a story. :D
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