Before I sat down to write the first book in my mystery series, I decided the main character would be a young woman. Megan Scott is observant and diligent and works behind the scenes as a ghostwriter. Because her daily routine can become tedious at times, I spiced up her life by adding friction to her workplace and stress to her relationship with her husband. As difficult as her situation had become, I increased the tension and dropped a few dead bodies in her path.
Then I created Michael Elliott, a cool investigative reporter and Megan’s sidekick. His investigation of criminal activities and risky meetings with informants are at odds with Megan’s sheltered lifestyle. The differences in their personalities and viewpoints offer potential for more conflict in the story and keep the plot moving forward. Despite Megan’s aversion to chaos, Michael’s unpredictable investigative efforts spark her curiosity, and she gets involved in helping him unearth and scrutinize clues.
Like the main character, the villain has to be believable. Motives such as jealousy, revenge, and greed are strong triggers that can lead to murder. They also reinforce the existence of an antagonist as a credible villain. Because no villain is pure evil, I add one or two positive attributes to balance things out and keep this character under the radar. I like to introduce a couple of suspects so that guessing the identity of the real villain and the motive behind the crime becomes more challenging.
Supporting characters can include suspects, witnesses, police officers, coworkers, neighbors, friends, and family. A supporting character’s relationship with the main character adds texture and interest to a story and provides a realistic setting in which the mystery unfolds. I enjoy dreaming up “mini” character sketches for a supporting cast and keep them close at hand in case I want to invite a character back in future stories.
The personalities and behaviors of story characters can be as diverse as the colors and shapes of pebbles on the shore. I like all the characters I’ve created and try not to be partial, though I’ll admit that Megan and Michael do have a special place in my heart.
Do you have a favorite story character?