A Day in the Life is Literarily Speaking’s newest feature. Here we get a glimpse into our favorite author’s day-to-day life! Today’s guest is David Schaub, co-author of the adventure/mystery/comedy novel, Spirits of the Western Wild.
A Day in the Life of Crime Thriller Author Jennifer Chase @jchasenovelist #flowersonhergrave #writing #author #adayinthelife
thewriterslife
April 30, 2020
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Day in the Life is Literarily Speaking’s newest feature. Here we get a
glimpse into our favorite author’s day-to-day life! Today’s guest is Jennifer Chase, author of the crime thriller, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE.
I write in one hour or two hour increments during the day and evening. This
allows me to be able to complete other things such as household chores,
promotion, exercise, and errands. One of my favorite things is when I begin one
of my new thriller projects, I love creating my bad guys or characters you love to hate. I work it out by Big
Three: Physical, Background, and Psychological.
When I outline the bad guys for my novels, it often reads like a police rap sheet and a psychological profile. I cannot overstate the effectiveness for research and outlining in fiction writing. There are those little pieces of nuggets that you can weave into the story that gives it the added realism and authenticity. These nuggets are like pieces of gold for me, and I love hunting for them.
Research into creating new characters works well for me because I love learning new things that I didn’t know yesterday, but it can be a daunting task if you don’t enjoy the process. I’ve managed to streamline my process a bit, so that I don’t get overwhelmed with too much information and avoid a major time void sucking the life out of me.
I remember when I first began writing screenplays, it was quoted many times in books and from successful writers that you must love all of your characters—even the bad ones. I embrace that simple task with every book project.
PHYSICAL
This is where I create the actual physical qualities of the character, what he/she looks like, mannerisms, specific characteristics, how he/she dresses, and even habits. I begin to get a real picture in my mind how this person looks, walks, and talks. It’s a writer’s character rap sheet with an added dimension of creativity.
BACKGROUND
Now it’s getting to be fun. This is where I begin to develop who they are with a history, life experiences, family, work environment, criminal activity, relationships, living conditions, education, and anything that wasn’t addressed in the physical area.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
Now, I have an actual image of the character and some background information. It’s endless in creating the mind of a bad guy, and you can have so much fun with this area of writing. This is no doubt my favorite step to creating a bad guy. I like to have these characters answer a few questions for me, like what they would do if confronted with certain situations. This also includes their internal and well as external conflicts. Many of my bad guys are serial killers, so they are skewed with distorted perceptions, beliefs, and lack of impulse control. How fun is that?
When I outline the bad guys for my novels, it often reads like a police rap sheet and a psychological profile. I cannot overstate the effectiveness for research and outlining in fiction writing. There are those little pieces of nuggets that you can weave into the story that gives it the added realism and authenticity. These nuggets are like pieces of gold for me, and I love hunting for them.
Research into creating new characters works well for me because I love learning new things that I didn’t know yesterday, but it can be a daunting task if you don’t enjoy the process. I’ve managed to streamline my process a bit, so that I don’t get overwhelmed with too much information and avoid a major time void sucking the life out of me.
I remember when I first began writing screenplays, it was quoted many times in books and from successful writers that you must love all of your characters—even the bad ones. I embrace that simple task with every book project.
PHYSICAL
This is where I create the actual physical qualities of the character, what he/she looks like, mannerisms, specific characteristics, how he/she dresses, and even habits. I begin to get a real picture in my mind how this person looks, walks, and talks. It’s a writer’s character rap sheet with an added dimension of creativity.
BACKGROUND
Now it’s getting to be fun. This is where I begin to develop who they are with a history, life experiences, family, work environment, criminal activity, relationships, living conditions, education, and anything that wasn’t addressed in the physical area.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
Now, I have an actual image of the character and some background information. It’s endless in creating the mind of a bad guy, and you can have so much fun with this area of writing. This is no doubt my favorite step to creating a bad guy. I like to have these characters answer a few questions for me, like what they would do if confronted with certain situations. This also includes their internal and well as external conflicts. Many of my bad guys are serial killers, so they are skewed with distorted perceptions, beliefs, and lack of impulse control. How fun is that?
About the Author
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://authorjenniferchase.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JChaseNovelist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase/
About the Book:
