I never thought I would be a series writer. When I began
writing, I knew I wanted to tell stories. I never imagined that I would create
larger-than-life characters with stories to tell beyond one book. I wrote Walk A Straight Line as a standalone.
To my surprise, I received requests from readers to continue
Keith, Gina and Michael’s story.
Excited, I develop the plot and began to write the next book in what
would become the “On the Right Path” series. Pretty soon I realized that I had
forgotten details about characters I thought I knew.
I had to reread Walk A
Straight Line to retrieve information such as age, birth dates, appearance,
employment, etc. I needed this pertinent information so the timeline in the
follow-up novels, My Steps Are Ordered and
The Fall of the Prodigal, would be
accurate.
This taught me an important lesson. For every story I write,
I outline my characters with descriptions and details unique to them. This is
evident in their dress and dialogue. If you know your characters, your readers
will as well. That is crucial. Readers are quick to note if a character does
not talk or behave the way you’ve established. I save the outline and then
update it with crucial events from each of the novels to reduce the possibility
of inconsistency. Keep your characters consistent and they will drive your
story and keep your readers turning the pages.
About Michelle Lindo-Rice
Michelle Lindo-Rice is the
bestselling author of the “Able to Love” series. She enjoys crafting women's
fiction with themes centered around the four "F" words: Faith,
Friendship, Family and Forgiveness. She was nominated for Author of the Year
2014 in Building Relationships Around Books book club. Michelle's first published
work, Sing A New Song, was a Black Expressions Editor's Choice featured
selection. My Steps Are Ordered, the second book in the "On the Right
Path" series made the AALBC bestseller lists on May/June 2014 and
August/September 2014. My Steps Are Ordered was also#1 in UBAWA's 2014 Top 100
list. The Fall of the Prodigal, released January 27, 2015 made #2 in Black
Christian News bestseller list.
Follow Michelle on Amazon:
Please email her or join her mailing list at
www.michellelindorice.com
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