I have to begin by confessing that my characters tend to control me. I may think I know the general direction in which they are heading, but with every one of my twenty-seven published books, this has never been the case. I’ve given in now – they do what they want, when they want, and how they want. I just write down the words, usually under their instructions.
However, there are a few rules I never knowingly break. The primary one is that no two characters in any one book will EVER have the same name. I also try very hard to not give them the same initial letter as well. I may allow them freedom of speech, but freedom to choose their own name is out of the question.
Because I don’t plan my novels in any way, I make notes as I go along about such things as pets or cars that the characters may have, and this pink battered notebook is indispensable – particularly when writing a series. Every person has eye colour, skin colour and hair colour noted, along with hair length. There’s nothing worse than a character having short dark curls, then tying her hair into a ponytail.
It’s also important to make a note of police ranks – don’t demote a DI to a DC, even if it is accidentally.
So, how do I keep a check on who is who and what is what? I use a character sheet, and as a new character emerges in the story I pull up the file, work out what name they can have and enter it immediately onto the sheet. I never procrastinate with this. The name is on that sheet before the character is allowed to join in any fun such as murder. It’s absolutely no good thinking I’ll add it later because you won’t. Sound like experience speaking? It is.
My new book, The Girls Next Door, had a sheet – I practise what I preach! I hope you enjoy the book, which is out today!