No story from me this week.

Instead, I’d like to hear how your characters met each other. What were the first words they spoke?

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My grandfather built a rocking horse for me when I was a toddler. It has survived through years and years (no – I’m not going to tell you exactly how many years) in storage. We have brought it out for my daughter to use and I like to think I was as much a daredevil on it as she is. She tries to get it to tip backwards, and stands up while she’s rocking it.

Seeing her ride it has made me appreciate that gift from my childhood even more.

What is your character’s favorite childhood memento?

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I woke up yesterday morning to a wonderful storm. The kind that flashes lightning through the clouds to light up the night and pours rain down to cleanse everything. The kind of storm I like to think only happens during monsoon season. And only in the desert. The electricity zinged through the air and made me wish I could sit out on the lawn and let the warm water drench me in those pre-dawn hours. Nothing beats a summer storm. 

How would your character react to a storm?

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I’ve always written with a basic idea of my characters’ looks in my mind. I don’t have tangible pictures of them, as I can’t draw, and I don’t go out searching for people online who might look like them.

Even when reading others’ work, I make up what someone looks like in my head—I never relate him/her to someone already in existence. Just as I picture the setting; an entire room can come to life – furniture, wall color, paintings/posters, and any other such decoration – within a few short sentences.

What’s odd, and what I’m writing to tell you all (and subsequently ask you about) is that earlier today while searching through photobucket for pictures for another blog, I came across a photo I couldn’t take my eyes off of.
Something entirely different had happened. I’d found a character who exists somewhere besides my mind. I’ve no clue who she is exactly or what her story will be, but she will most definitely be in a book (or more than likely, have a book about her). Here she is::

Then, to make things even stranger, I came across my MC in my main WiP. I know what she looks like, of course, but I happened to find someone who’s real and looks a lot like the picture that’s in my mind. Odd, let me tell you. So here’s Alexis::

I cropped her a bit, so if you want to see all of her (her back is bare to show her tattoo and her studded belt), check her out on my blog.
I go into more detail about why she’s Alexis there.

To the point now…
How do you all create your characters? Do you search for pictures? Do you watch people and decide you’ll write a book one day about someone you saw? Are you like me and let the characters build themselves in your head? I’d love to hear how everyone goes about this process.

So go. Now. Comment away!

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Since winning her first writing competition at a young age, Eden Tyler, has only fallen more in love with the written word. She uses her English, Psychology, and Sociology backgrounds to create depth to her own stories and novels while contributing to and running websites about writing. This is what fulfills her, along with working as Co-Editor for Fuel Your Writing, but she also enjoys the freelance work that puts food on the table (and that ever-essential roof overhead) for her family.

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Today’s post is courtesy of Angie Lee. I hope this never, not-ever-in-a-billion-years happens to me.

 Because sometimes being a mother makes for some seriously humiliating situations. I’ve been pooped on, peed on, coughed on, bled on, and had snot wiped all over me. I’ve had personal stories revealed, family secrets exposed and inaccurate information distributed. All humiliating instances I can roll with, but I have to draw the line somewhere, and that line is firmly placed where I’m wearing clothing. Go ahead and embarrass me in public, but PLEASE, make sure I have my clothes on, that I can move all of my limbs, and that there is an escape route. Because I really cannot stop thinking about being exposed to the Banana Republic shoppers in my underclothing on Saturday, with no escape route and my finger wedged in the door hinge. All compliments of my twins. So here is my advice.

 Never, ever, ever under any circumstance take your twins into a dressing room with you and park them next to the door, wedging yourself into the room.

 Never, ever, ever grab the inside hinge of the door to try to close it when it has been flung open by your children and you are in your underclothing. Because then your wedding ring might get stuck in the hinge when you are trying to close the door and the fitting room attendant tries to help. And then you’d be stuck in your under clothing right by the mirror that reflects down the whole dressing room with no way to close the door and nowhere to hide.

Just then, you might be mortified. And want to crawl into a hole and WISH you were having a nightmare. And if I were you, I’d stick to trying on bathing suits when you are alone. You just never know.

What is your character’s most publicly embarrassing moment?

Angie Lee is a word loving, book devouring, designer jean obsessed mama to 5. She’s also a sunshine hoarding, organizationally devout stringer of letters, words and paragraphs.

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I left my daughter alone in the kitchen for a couple minutes yesterday. BAD IDEA.

I had just popped the lasagna in the oven and had not yet put away all of the ingredients. So on the counter, minding its own business, stood a carton of eggs. Well, my daughter felt that the counter was no place for a perfectly good carton of eggs. The floor was the place to be.

That’s right- she grabbed the carton and proceeded to smoosh, swirl, and eat the eggs (luckily there were only 2 eggs). When I found her, she was sitting in the midst of yolk. Happy, proud, and sticky.

I laughed so hard I almost slipped in the yuck.

What is the biggest mess your character has gotten into? Or how have they gotten “toss-your-clothes-in-the-laundry-right-this-minute” filthy?

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