Say hello to Mandy Montane author of Sarena of Beca & Sarena and the Lost Princess: Legend of the Mermadians and her wonderful post about creating clever characters…
Picture this, you are at the “it” Masquerade Ball of the year, you’ve been waiting for years to be invited, to finally land an invitation.
You’ve arrived. You are standing in the grand ballroom. The costumes are impressive, Victorian gowns and masks which are equally extravagant but it’s the one character standing at the back corner of the room that catches your eye. The black tux and classic black cape, the white mask, covering half his face. A distinctive character that you’ve seen the one time you saw the Broadway musical.
Suddenly, you hear the song begin to play, the rhythm locking you in the moment, then the lyrics ring out, “The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind.”
The room parts as all the glamourous ladies and gents stand facing each other, preparing for the waltz just as a dim haze sets in. Time stops, you realize the mysterious caped man is staring right at you. You, against your nature, move forward, walking in between the frozen dancers, gliding seamlessly across the huge ballroom dance floor, to reach your destination standing face to face with the mysterious, phantom man. Without a word spoken, he extends his hand offering you to take it. In the next second, you are being whirled around the dance floor but hardly notice that the other mask attendees, have retreated to the wall, leaving you and the phantom to dance. You feel all eyes on you, realizing your dream of being Christine Daae has come true.
Suddenly, the music stops and the phantom gently leads you outside to the veranda. The delicate flicker of the candelabra dances in the darkness as you make your way to the balcony edge that looks over a vast garden. The Harvest Moon shines bright with faint hues of blue. Turning to look at the handsome phantom standing beside you. He slowly removes his mask, your heart beating with anticipation. Instantly, gasping, you see a ghastly image. A bloodless face with piercing blue eyes, the phantom smiles revealing sharp pointed teeth dripping with blood. Frozen with fear, unable to run, you realize your dream has turned out to be a nightmare.
With Halloween, just past, a tale of a creepy character seemed fitting.
As you see, appearances aren’t always what they appear. As described in the scene above, you, as the main character, are living a dream in a kind of fairytale setting with your very own prince charming. But once you are introduced to the prince, you soon realize he’s not what he seems. His character is not who you thought.
When crafting a clever character, be sure to add attributes that make them stand out. That leads to the question, what makes a character spring from the page and leave the reader frightened, intrigued or inclined to follow their journey?
Creating clever characters is key to building a likeable story. Whether it’s horror, a comedy or love story, to begin you must first start with the hook of introducing a strong character. The first step to creating a clever character is know them. Begin by asking the following questions:
Who are they?
What is their story?
What do they love?
What do they fear?
Do they have enemies?
What is their background?
Are they male, female, animal, imaginary or human?
What do they look like?
What is their mission or purpose?
Once you answer these questions, you can begin creating the character. And from there, allow the character to lead you down the path of developing your plot. Remember to not take yourself to seriously, and have fun with the process. If you get stuck, don’t worry. Take a break, find the countless resources to help you along your path. Happy Writing!
This blog was written by Mandy Montane, author of Sarena of Beca & Sarena and the Lost Princess: Legend of the Mermadians. For more information about Mandy or her books, follow her on her Facebook author page or on instagram.com/mandymontane. Her book is available on