Start Write: have a dinner party with your characters

When you’re writing a novel with a cast of characters it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of who’s who, especially if you want several sub-plot story-lines accompanying the main plot-line.

To prevent confusion, I use this exercise during the first draft writing stage and it helps me right through the edits, too.

Imagine that you are at a dinner party with all your characters. Your job is to introduce them to as many of the other guests as possible, but you only have a minute to do this with each person. Think about the key points you would want a complete stranger to know about your characters:
•Hair and eye colour, height, build age?
•What do they do for a living?
•Are they married/single/divorced? Do they have children?
•What kind of things are they interested in?
•What one important fact about their lives is it important for a stranger to know?

Time yourself giving an introduction and write your answers down. Then keep the lists handy while you’re writing to remind you!

Miranda Dickinson is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of Fairytale of New York: her 4th bestseller.

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