By Donna Gartshore

            To start with, I personally don’t use a lot of how-to books. In no way is this intended as a critique to those that do. They just never work that well for me.

            I believe that our true inspiration comes from God. He’s given all of us the power to observe, to question, to care, and to show compassion.

            Here are some other things I keep in mind while creating characters for my books:

            No one is one-dimensional:

            We all have strengths and flaws, and it’s always worth taking the time to really get to know someone. I always try to bring this attitude to developing my characters. I strive to make them relatable, certainly not perfect. I have created characters that struggle with alcoholism, illiteracy, and depression, among other things. At the same time, I have shown their determination, their compassion, and their faith.

            Use their hobbies and interests to add nuance to the characters:

            In Love Inspired, the romance line I write for, the books are on the shorter side, so we can’t spend pages developing characters. There are what I would consider short cuts to helping readers understand characters, but this shouldn’t be confused with being cliched. This means that I expand reader understanding of the character by the hobbies and interests I choose to give them.

An example of this is John in my book A Secret Between Them. He is a photojournalist and the way he observes things through his camera is a plot point, as he bonds with a foster child, but it also emphasizes something about his character: that he is closed off and protective of his emotions. Eventually, the camera will also become his way to bond with people and not to shut them out.

            Another example of this type of thing is Claire’s flower shop in The Courage to Love. The way Claire chooses and arranges the flowers shows a great deal about her character. To convey this, I looked up the meanings behind flowers to explain why she was using them in the bouquets she created.

            Learn from other kinds of writing:

            Okay, I said I don’t use a lot of how-to books but I do read a lot and notice how authors are doing things. I also love to listen to music and read poetry. I am always intrigued by how much they can convey with a brevity of words. I often listen to music while I write. I definitely wouldn’t call myself a “Swiftie” but I do appreciate Taylor Swift’s way of capturing relatable emotions in succinct, memorable ways.

            Strive to make all characters realistic, including children:

            I want to take a moment to talk about developing children characters in books.. Love Inspired reader tend to gravitate toward books that feature them, but it bothers me if they seem to be there simply to fill a trope.

            When I sold my first book, Instant Family, my editor made of point of telling me what a wonderful character the little girl in it was. I believe this because I strive to make all of my characters complex, regardless of their age. At least, that is always my goal. My character, Rae, in that book, was a ten-year-old girl, small for her age, shy and awkward, but was also a gifted artist and shrewd observer.

            Pay attention to children when you’re around them. How do they speak? What are their fears, their hopes, their goals? Do they have their own faith? How do they express it? Always remember that children have as many layers and nuances as adults do.

            Your child characters can surprise you too. For example: In my book Instant Father, it was my intention to have the little boy, Tyson, bullied at school. When I got to writing that part, I suddenly knew I had to switch things around and have him doing the bullying. It was unexpected but, upon reflection, it did make sense for his character. The seeds had been planted, and it took the story in a deeper, more interesting direction.

            In conclusion, try to always keep in mind that we write to glorify God. I believe that if we strive to see others through the eyes of Christ, we will see humanity in their fullness, with all of their flaws and all of their great potential, and, in doing, so, we will create fully rounded characters.

by Donna Gartshore

Publishers Weekly best selling author, Donna Gartshore, lives in Saskatchewan, Canada. Donna is so grateful to be able to tell stories of faith, hope and second chances for Love Inspired. She also writes devotionals and the occasional poem or short story.