I thought for this mini-series of blog posts, I'd look at how I've created characters etc, using the alphabet as a convenient peg for topics.
A = Aliases. I don't use aliases at all for my characters, to avoid potential confusion by readers and myself (!), but I can see the point of them, especially for crime stories where an alias may be crucial. Golden rule is to establish early on a character is using an alias and repeat it every so often so it "soaks in". The reader gets to know Character A is sometimes known as Mr Smith or what have you. As long as there is clarity here, aliases shouldn't be an issue. What you don't want is the reader having to thumb back through the book to remind themselves Character A is sometimes called Mr Smith. If readers have to thumb back, you risk losing them.
B = Beauty. So who are your beautiful characters? Is this beauty in terms of physical appearance, character or both? Especially for science fiction and fantasy writers, you will need to establish what your world's standards of beauty are. This can make for wonderful writing if your world's criteria are significantly different from ours (and I would hope they would be), as you can look into why your world thinks having three noses is lovely, one is odd etc etc. Details like this, fed in suitably, will help make your world seem more real.
C = Class. I refer to class here in terms of social standing and as to how classy your characters are (or otherwise!). Again you will need to establish what social classes exist and can people move across from one to another? Do the classes mingle well together or, much more likely, are they poles apart? What is the history here? As for classy characters, what does your world recognize as being classy? Being able to read well and be articulate? On a more practical based world where engineering, for example, is the prized skill, the ability to handle a blow torch (or equivalent) might be enough for a character to be classy.
A = Aliases. I don't use aliases at all for my characters, to avoid potential confusion by readers and myself (!), but I can see the point of them, especially for crime stories where an alias may be crucial. Golden rule is to establish early on a character is using an alias and repeat it every so often so it "soaks in". The reader gets to know Character A is sometimes known as Mr Smith or what have you. As long as there is clarity here, aliases shouldn't be an issue. What you don't want is the reader having to thumb back through the book to remind themselves Character A is sometimes called Mr Smith. If readers have to thumb back, you risk losing them.
B = Beauty. So who are your beautiful characters? Is this beauty in terms of physical appearance, character or both? Especially for science fiction and fantasy writers, you will need to establish what your world's standards of beauty are. This can make for wonderful writing if your world's criteria are significantly different from ours (and I would hope they would be), as you can look into why your world thinks having three noses is lovely, one is odd etc etc. Details like this, fed in suitably, will help make your world seem more real.
C = Class. I refer to class here in terms of social standing and as to how classy your characters are (or otherwise!). Again you will need to establish what social classes exist and can people move across from one to another? Do the classes mingle well together or, much more likely, are they poles apart? What is the history here? As for classy characters, what does your world recognize as being classy? Being able to read well and be articulate? On a more practical based world where engineering, for example, is the prized skill, the ability to handle a blow torch (or equivalent) might be enough for a character to be classy.
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