Character Traits

in

Down to the Needle

a thriller

Character traits are not only reflected in descriptive writing but in the names we choose for our villains and heroines and others who people our stories.

Choosing great names helps avoid stereotypes. When writing tall tales or any other fiction, a name can subconsciously provide a reader with a sense of who the person is and what we can expect from them.

Though this doesn’t and possibly couldn’t hold true for all names in a book, it should surely be considered when choosing names for heroines, heroes, villains and those who share many scenes with them.

You can read more about name planning on the list of names for my novel . There I have explained about choosing names that have meanings similar to a person’s purpose in the story. Also provided on that page as samples of the meanings of the names used and why you should also pay attention to each character’s initials.

Final Notes - Purchase

We have an exciting CONTEST running for this book.

Below are the names of those who people Down to the Needle. Then, if you'll notice, their character traits, or the main ones, are given at the end of their descriptions, after the dashes. (If nothing appears after the dashes, they played a small part in the story.)

ABIGAIL FISHER, Protagonist, heroine - has a lifelong obsession to find her daughter

JOE ARNO, Secondary Protagonist, Abi’s love interest - steady and supportive

Preston Fisher, Abi’s long-missing husband - secretive

Edith Armstrong, owns "The Beacon,” meals for the homeless - charitable

Becky Ann Fisher, Abi’s abducted daughter - artist

Megan Winnaker, Inmate - determined, brave, while facing death

Vance Winnaker, Megan’s father - Aryan

Rae Overland, gang member

Quincy Overland, Rae’s father - Aryan

June, homeless woman - confused

Margaret Griffin (Lady Griff), homecoming queen, Joe’s former obsessive love interest - quite the vamp!

Bertrand Thorndyke, III, Margaret's husband - stiff, formal

Velma, Police sketch artist

Lindsay, Abigail's store clerk - supportive, with business savvy

DeWitt, homeless man who protects June - has a sense of right and wrong

Chad Britto, Police Lieutenant - determined to crack the case before retiring

Stan Yates, blind man - egocentric, self-righteous

Hazel Yates, Stan's sister - limited mentality

Dr. Gilda Sayer, Prison Psychiatrist

Emery Kenton, Megan’s attorney - hidden obsession

Jack Pierce, Fireman Captain

Dara Hines, Aryan girl - wild

Sling, Dara's boyfriend - pathetic, fearful

Tess Ulrich, witness to Megan’s crime

Officer John Ryde, hospital guard

Lt. Donald Nater, retired, worked Megan’s case

Gary Croner, Arsonist

Twyla, Becky’s former cellmate

If you peruse the list above, note that seldom are the same alphabetical letters used in more than one name, except in the case of family last names. Try to use any letter only ONCE.

Also, you wouldn't put characters in your story with similar names, like Mary Barnes and Marion Burns. Avoid using not only the same letters more than once if it can be helped, but also avoid names that sound the same or which rhyme.

To Top - Character Names - Final Notes - Purchase

In my first novel, The Tropics, an adventure/suspense, the list of individuals is short. The Tropics is composed of three entwined novellas, so all the characters do not appear in all three stories.

However, in my novel, The Ka, a paranormal Egyptian suspense, two lists include 24 main characters and 25 secondary characters. The differences are that each of the main characters plays speaking parts and appear throughout the book. The secondary characters have very few speaking parts, if any, and serve to fill in the background of various scenes.

In River Bones, an award-winning thriller, some of the characters that play major parts just happen to be dogs: two lovable pit bull puppies that grow up in the story, plus a stylish and hoity black standard poodle.

Also included in River Bones are the names of the main character's deceased family. All names must be chosen carefully, even those of the departed, since they affect the life of the living characters.

Something else that is vitally important in writing a novel in addition to character traits is where you place your story - the locale. Many fiction novels take place in actual cities and towns and it’s easy to create scenes in various known locations. Your reader may easily identify with scene locales if you’ve described them accurately.

Down to the Needle takes place in a fictitious town along the west coast. It could be California. It could be Oregon, or maybe even Washington. The mind of the reader will automatically choose the state of preference.

In the story, the town is described as having once been known as the Cabot Cove of the West Coast. Now, don't you already get a feel for what kind of town this might be?

Having created a fictitious town and various other locations, it’s vital that they are described well to give readers a sense of being there in the midst of it all. I am told that I’ve done just that.

Here is a taste of what to expect about location and other important points in the story.

SEAPORT - Where story takes place. Larger town on west coast waterfront, similar to but more industrialized than Cabot Cove in Murder, She Wrote.

PT. MEARE - On the north bay in Seaport where Becky used to draw art on the pier.

THE LIGHTHOUSE – On the south bay peninsula, opposite Pt. Meare to the north.

CREIGHTON - Twenty miles inland, smaller artsy town. Undeveloped rural areas hide many notorious gangs.

TONO FOOTHILLS - Behind Creighton toward mountains covered with pine forests and receives annual snow; where Joe has a cabin.

RACHTER VALLEY PRISON - Southeast of Creighton, deeper into the foothills, where Megan Winnaker is confined on death row.

0-5 - Kid’s Stuff - Abigail Fisher's children's clothing store for ages 0 to 5 years.

K.I.N. - A charitable group started by Abigail to collect donated children's clothes for Kids In Need. Donations made at her store earn customers 10% off new purchases.

Final Notes:

When developing fictional people, heroes, heroines, villains and others, character traits are vital. Character traits are what move your story people through the plot.

For example, if your heroine plays in a chamber music trio, she may be refined. She would have manicured nails and know about music. You wouldn’t describe her with filthy nails unless she has a secret passion for gardening. But even then, you’d need to show her as being meticulous about cleaning her hands.

This is only one of a million examples. Whatever descriptive writing you create for character traits, it must fit the story.

When developing a story in a fictitious locale, descriptive writing and setting a scene is equally as important as character traits.

In writing tall tales, or even little ones, stereotypes must be avoided. This is accomplished by the characters you develop.

It’s my hope that these easy examples of my writing will encourage you to continue your writing career.

You may also study the Descriptive Writing found in Down to the Needle.

Plus, there is more information on the Down to the Needle Media Page, with yet another Book Review page to come.

A NOTE ABOUT SHIPPING:

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