Often, I’ve been asked how I find the characters I use in my stories. The first time I was asked that question, it seemed odd to me. That was because when an idea for a story comes to me, I simply imagine the character in whatever situation the story starts out in, and I go from there.
For example, in my latest release, Trust Never After, my main female character is a young woman who is half-Irish and half-Finnish. It came naturally to me to use those nationalities because they are mine. I have the setting in Minnesota where my mother was born and raised. There are so many people of Finnish descent in the area, that it was also natural for me to use the half-Finnish, half-Irish nationality for the main male character. And because all of my stories have an Irish theme to them (at least with the characters), I added the Irish heritage.
You might ask, “Are all of your characters half-Irish and half-Finnish?” No, they are not. All of the main female characters are at least half-Irish because that’s what I’ve chosen, except in the case of some of my short stories. The rest of the characters may have some Irish in their blood, but not necessarily. Especially when it comes to the minor characters in the story or the villains.
You might also ask, “Do you always base your characters on you?” No. This was the first book where my main female character was more or less based on myself. Her nationality and feistiness are definitely mine. J
Where do I get the other characters for my stories?
They come from life. I’m an observer of human nature. Wherever I go, I’m watching people. I keep an eye on my family, friends, acquaintances, the people I run into each day, people I’ve known, etc. None of my characters are exclusively patterned after any one person I know or have observed. They are composites of people. The closest I’ve come to basing any character on one person was Lucy in Treasure in a Field. I gained her permission to base my minor character in the story on her and her dog, Cian.
Lucy is a friend of ours who travels to jobs around the country, working as a tour guide and other positions. Her dog Cian played an important role in the story. I did change Cian’s name to Sean for the tale. Not everything about my character Lucy and her dog Sean match my friend and her canine, but anyone who knows them would recognize Lucy and Cian in the story right away, I’m sure. This was the one and only time I’ve done this, and it was done because I wanted a character just like Lucy for the story.
Developing Your Characters
When you start your story, you have to have your main character figured out right away. You should already know what their personality is going to be like based on the trials and errors they will go through. To me, this is the main part of making up the character. The physical appearance can come later.
As a matter of fact, I generally don’t give the physical attributes to a character while writing the first draft, unless I need a particular look or trait for a scene. I usually wait for most of the details until I go through the story the second time. At that point, I start a dossier with every characteristic or trait for that person. I even record minor things about the person, like how they drink their coffee, so it stays the same throughout the story. You’d be amazed at how easy it is to slip up on eye color, height, etc. while your mind is deep into the telling of the tale.
While writing the story, a person in your neighborhood may come to mind. It’s like picking out an actor for a part in a movie. You let your mind search through everyone you remember and find the one that best suits the role. I never force a character into a part. It has to come naturally, or they won’t fit right.
Using Clichés in our Writing
When you’ve chosen your characters, you need to give each one of them their own personality and peculiarities. One of my minor characters in Paths of Righteousness is a doctor who loves to get everyone’s attention by using clichés all the time. Now I know what you writers are thinking. Oh no! We’re never supposed to use clichés in our writing. It’s a big NO-NO!
Let me ask you a question. Do we use clichés in our natural everyday speech?Aren’t we supposed to create dialogue for our characters that sounds real to the reader?
Yes, we are to limit the use of clichés in our work. But in this case, it was part of the humorous doctor’s personality. My readers loved it. Normally, I try to curb the use of clichés in writing dialogue, but I don’t eliminate them altogether any more than I cut out all adverbs, which sometimes can be very useful to tell the reader exactly what you are describing. Now writing narrative from the author is a different story. There you must use grammar that shows you have control over the English language.
Personality Building
Building a personality is more difficult than initially finding your character in the first place. But again, I go to the people I remember. Usually, I’ll combine maybe one, two, or three personalities into one character. The character may be brave, like my military friends, but he also uses common sense, like my husband. She may be feisty, like me, but she has a soft spot for children like some of my other friends have.
Character Flaws
Then there are the faults we must give our characters. They can’t be perfect human beings any more than any of us are. They must have a fault to overcome or try to better by the end of the story. In my newest release, Trust Never After, my heroine has been hurt and decides she’ll never trust another man with her heart. That means she’s judging all men by just one. That’s a fault indeed. My hero takes on blame for something he had no control over. His fault is that he’s too hard on himself.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever seen about creating characters is this. “Get your character up a tree… and then throw rocks at him.” In other words, get your character into a place in the story where everything is going wrong for them. After that, they have to figure out a way to correct the problem.
Final Thoughts
I love creating characters for my stories. They each have their own little quirks, loveable parts, speech or unique dialogue, and so many other things that let the readers know who is speaking even without you giving a dialogue tag or action beat to the words (although sometimes it’s still a good idea).
For you writers, enjoy building your characters using all the parts of the people you know or have met, all their idiosyncrasies and problems, their physical traits, and unique use of the English language.
For you readers, just enjoy the different characters the writer has created for the story and imagine what they are really like. Do you see someone you know in those characters? Do you see yourself?
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About Sharon
Sharon K. Connell, living in Houston, Texas, writes Christian romance suspense with mystery and humor. After college in Illinois, Sharon graduated from Pensacola Bible Institute. She holds a certificate in fiction writing from IWP through the University of Iowa. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Houston Writers Guild, and Christian Women Writers, is the founder of Facebook Christian Writers & Readers, and writes for global online magazine Faith on Every Corner. Sharon is an independent author with several novels, a novella, a novelette, a multi-genre collection of short stories, and a cookbook published since 2014.
What I (and many others) thought was impossible turned out to be possible (though exhausting!) with the help of one often-overlooked tool:
Dictation.
Now, I’m not talking about running a country — I’m referring to speaking or talking our text aloud, into a recorder or microphone, to be transcribed live or later.
That this felt natural to me shouldn’t come as a surprise: we’ve always been a species that shares stories through oral tradition. From ancient times when elders passed down tales to the next generation around flickering campfires, to the modern-day podcasts and audiobooks that captivate millions, the voice holds a special enchantment.
Yet, as writers, we often limit ourselves to the traditional tools of pen and keyboard, often at odds with the organic flow of our spoken thoughts.
However, the digital era beckons a revolution for authors and professionals alike, giving rise to the transformative tool of dictation. Instead of being constrained by the speed of our typing or the occasional writer’s block, we can now seamlessly translate our verbal narratives into text. This ability not only democratizes the act of writing, making it more accessible for those who might struggle with traditional methods but also promises increased productivity.
The beauty of dictation lies in its simplicity. It eradicates barriers, enabling thoughts to flow uninterrupted. Just imagine: a world where your speech dictates the pace, rather than the limitations of your typing speed. A world where ideas aren’t lost in the time it takes to put them down but are captured in real-time.
It’s not without its faults, though — dictating fiction is vastly different in the creative headspace than using our fingers to peck out single words at a time. We get stuck on ideas, repeat descriptors, and generally need to train ourselves to keep going when our inner monologue tells us what we’re dictating isn’t going to work.
I’ve been building an entire course on dictation for some time now, and I’ll link to it at the bottom of this post. But I wanted to give you — a potential dictator — the tools and equipment to succeed in beginning a dictation practice.
As we navigate this guide, we’ll delve into the essential tools and mindsets required to harness the power of dictation effectively. From understanding the pivotal role of a positive mindset to selecting the right equipment and software, this journey promises to transform not just the way you write, but also how you perceive the art of writing itself.
The Role of Mindset in Dictation
My Personal Journey and the Power of Belief
When I first dipped my toes into the vast sea of dictation, it was belief that anchored me. I won’t sugarcoat it; there were hiccups. Sometimes, the words that appeared on screen weren’t quite what I’d envisioned. But, I held fast to my belief that this was a skill, like crafting a compelling protagonist or building tension in a scene. And like all skills, with practice, it would sharpen. I urge you to embrace this conviction. Trust me, every misplaced word or misunderstood phrase is just a stepping stone to mastery.
From Skeptic to Advocate
I remember my initial reservations. Could a machine truly capture the nuance of my narratives? Would it stifle or liberate my creativity? I was skeptical, yes, but also curious. My advice? Let your curiosity be your guide. Dictation isn’t just a tool; it’s a new way of engaging with your stories. Approach it with an open heart, eager to explore, and you might just find a new companion in your writing journey.
Embracing Change and Growing with It
I’ve often found that writing isn’t just about the destination; it’s about the journey. Dictation introduced me to a new path, and like my fictional characters, I had to evolve. It was less about getting it perfect and more about flowing with this new rhythm. Some of my most spontaneous plot twists and character revelations happened when I was speaking, not typing. So, give yourself the space to adapt and grow. You might just discover new facets to your storytelling.
Visualizing A New Chapter
Every time I sat down (or stood up) to dictate, I’d picture it: my thoughts flowing seamlessly, my stories unfolding more organically, and that gratifying sensation of seeing chapters grow at a pace I hadn’t experienced before. By visualizing the potential, I was reinforcing my commitment to this journey. I invite you to do the same. Envision the stories you’ll tell, the worlds you’ll craft, and the characters who will come alive through your voice.
I won’t pretend that dictation replaced traditional writing for me completely. But it did offer a new avenue, a fresh perspective. And sometimes, as novelists, that’s precisely what we need to keep our stories vibrant and our passion alive.
The Essentials: Your Dictation Toolkit
My Quest for the Right Device
It all starts with a reliable machine.
I remember the hours I spent poring over reviews, weighing the pros and cons of Mac versus Windows. When I decided to explore dictation, I knew I needed a device that could keep pace with my storytelling ambitions. Whether you’re already writing on a high-performance machine or considering an upgrade, ensure it’s one that aligns with your needs. For me, it was all about reliability and speed.
The first decision you’ll need to make is whether to use a microphone or a recorder. I use both, depending on when (and where) I’m working: a microphone is perfect for sitting at the desk and dictating “live” (watching the words appear onscreen in front of me).
On the other hand, a recorder is perfect for dictating “offline,” recording my voice to have it transcribed later. This is how I dictated a book in a day — I recorded all the words, then had them transcribed after my road trip!
Equipment Chronicles
My first venture into the world of microphones felt like stepping onto another planet. Who knew there were so many choices?
You probably can’t go wrong with just about any option — you don’t need the best-quality audio when you’re dictating. But here are my favorites:
Blue Yeti: My trusty sidekick. Its robust design, clear sound, and adaptability to various recording situations quickly made it a permanent fixture on my desk.
Blue Snowball: Before the Yeti came the Snowball. It was my foray into the world of professional dictation, and while I’ve since upgraded, I owe much of my early dictation success to this little powerhouse. It’s a bit cheaper, but it works perfectly well.
Zoom H1n (My Muse On-the-Go): I can’t count the number of times inspiration has struck in the most unexpected places: a bustling café, a quiet park bench, or amidst the gentle lull of crashing waves. The Zoom H1n became my on-the-spot muse-catcher. It’s compact, user-friendly, and never misses a beat (or a word). With it, my stories aren’t bound by location; they come alive wherever I am.
Generic Bluetooth Headsets: Don’t overthink it — you can get by with just about any bluetooth or wireless headset or earphone device. Some feature noise-cancellation, but I wouldn’t drop a ton of money into them if you’re going to start here. Chances are they’ll be good enough, but you always want to give yourself the room to upgrade!
Every tool I’ve adopted over the years, be it basic or advanced, has shaped my dictation journey in unique ways. But remember, tools are just enablers; it’s your voice, passion, and imagination that breathe life into stories.
The Brain Behind the Operation: Dictation Software
I’ve always felt a profound connection with words. Each sentence, each paragraph woven together is like stitching the fabric of a universe. But when I first considered dictation, I faced a dilemma: could software truly understand the nuances of my storytelling? Could it capture the very essence of the worlds I crafted with such love and attention? The answer, as I found out, was both surprising and heartwarming.
Dragon Naturally Speaking (Windows) - My First Co-author:
When I first tried Dragon Naturally Speaking on my Windows machine years ago, it felt like working with a new co-author. There were initial disagreements, of course—times when it misunderstood a character’s name or the setting of a scene.
But as days turned into weeks, we started to ‘get’ each other. The software began to recognize the rhythm of my speech, the unique intonations, and the occasional dramatic pauses. It was like building a relationship. With each session, our synergy improved, making the dictation process more intuitive and efficient.
Today, Dragon for Windows is still around, and still awesome. The downside? It’s ridiculously expensive.
Dragon Dictate (Mac) - A Seamless Transition
Switching between my Windows desktop and my Macbook during travels posed a challenge. That’s when Dragon Dictate for Mac came into the picture. It felt like reuniting with an old friend, but in a different setting. The seamless integration with the Mac ecosystem, combined with the familiar efficiency of Dragon, ensured that my stories never faced interruptions, regardless of where I was or which device I was using.
It’s great, and I still use it, but be forewarned: they’re not making it or supporting it anymore.
If you want my advice, don’t buy either version — instead, go with something future-proof: both Mac and Windows machines have incredibly capable built-in transcription features. You’ll have to dig around (for example, on Mac these features are hidden in the Accessibility preference pane), but it’s worth learning to use what you’ve already got!
The Most Important Rule of All
I’ve given you the equipment that I use and recommend, and you’ll have more than enough to get started. But the real “secret” of all of this isn’t really a secret at all:
You have to practice. Dictating isn’t difficult, but getting into the right mindset, practicing the “weird stuff,” and getting over the strange feeling talking out your novel can be.
I’ve found that the secret to getting through this phase is to have a system. It can be as simple as committing every day to trying something related to dictation, or it can be a more elaborate plan prescribed by someone else.
Have you tried dictation for your writing? What has your experience been? What have you found that worked or didn't work for you?
On that note, I’ve got a full course on dictation called Dictation for Authors. It was created for you — the author who wants more but doesn’t have time to waste getting lost in the weeds. I’ve built a system that’s replicable, easy to implement, and will get you 4-5X the writing output in a few months of diligent practice.
Best of all? I’ve got a coupon code for you, if you’re interested in checking out more. Just use BOOKCAREER at checkout for an additional 20% off!
I hope you’ll give dictation a chance — it’s literally changed the game for me as an author, and it’s done the same for the authors I’ve coached.
And if you have any questions, I’m only an email away!
About Nick
Hi! I'm Nick. I am the USA Today Bestselling Author of 40+ fiction thriller novels and nonfiction author-focused books. I like to build things for authors. In addition, I speak and present about publishing, marketing, and the future of books. If you want to work with me, you've come to the right place. If you want to read my books, you're also in the right spot! See more about my books and services at my website.
No one likes reading an info dump, but we writers justify their existence because we’re sure the reader needs all this background information here, right now. Info dumps kill the pace and tension in your story and readers may just put down your book and walk away forever.
What Is An Info Dump?
“An info dump is a very large amount of information, usually backstory, supplied all at once in a narrative.” Backstory is important and vital to any character and story, but the reader doesn’t necessarily need to know all of what you know or have created. As any good introvert knows, people have to earn the trust to be told your entire life story, you don’t just verbally vomit on a stranger. It’s rude. *smile*
Concerning Hobbits…
In an omniscient point of view, the worldbuilding Tolkien used in The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit is acceptable. Omniscient point of view though is largely out of favor with modern readers and acquisition editors.
It’s hard to ground the reader in time and place without front-loading a work with all the ways that world is different from our own world/reality/time/place. Whether you’re writing Steampunk, Space Opera, Edwardian romance, spec fic, etc etc — the key is to avoid large deposits of information. Let the world unfold for the reader as the character sees it. If everyone in your story world is green with large antennae, construct an organic scenario that would cause your character to notice it — because we don’t often think/comment on things that seem every day or ordinary.
An Info Dump:
Cassandra kept her claws rounded and painted which showed her pride in her appearance. The green-skinned passersby didn’t give her any notice. They kept their long antennae gleaming and straight. Her people were fastidious and prided themselves on their appearances. Not being noticed was a good thing.
Organic Worldbuilding:
Cassandra examined the filed ends of her claws. Last night’s fresh polish still glistened in the sun. Her antennae twitched, energy zinging to the ends of her fingers. She spun around, hands covering her gills.
Steve backed up half a step, palms up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” His left antennae was bent and limp. Sickly splotches of purple marred his green skin.
A young couple swerved off the sidewalk, giving Steve a hard glare and covering their gills as they passed by. He tucked his broken claws into his palms as if trying to hide them.
Rank body odour hit her, a mix of sour seaweed and spoiled tuna. Cass shifted to the right so the slight breeze was at her back, carrying Steve’s germs and his body odour away from her. “Where’ve you been? You don’t look so good.”
Backstory And Deep Point Of View
If you’re writing your entire novel in deep point of view (as opposed to just using this technique for emphasis in key scenes), you can avoid backstory and worldview info dumps whether through narrative, internal dialogue or spoken dialogue by asking yourself these questions:
What is the character worried about/interested in/working towards RIGHT NOW?
What information does the reader NEED to know RIGHT NOW in order for the story to make sense? How can I answer their most pressing question but leave them asking even more questions?
Which bits of backstory are so compelling that readers will be cheering for my character?
Remember, in deep point of view, we restrict the reader to only what the point of view character (POVC) knows, sees, hears, feels, touches, etc. But it’s also a very intimate and immediate style of writing, so something triggers them in the here and now — a smell, a sound.
Answer The Why
With any bit of backstory or worldbuilding info you include, ask yourself why you’re putting that there, in that scene, right now. Is there an organic reason for the character to think of it? Otherwise it turns into what I call I-have-a-puppy syndrome. I’ve been a teacher in a variety of formal capacities, and it never fails that in a group of young children someone feels left out and interrupts the conversation by bouncing up and down, their hand shooting up in the air, to say, “I have a puppy!”
That’s what it feels like to the reader to be jerked out of the character’s head and sent on a bunny trail that neither feels organic to the moment or the character.
So, ask why you want to include that information in that place of the story. Ask why your readers need that information. Often, the reader needs only a fraction of what we think they need, but be sure and offer context for the character and the setting. Giving the reader too little information is as bad as too much.
Finally, ask whether the character really would think or talk about that bit of backstory or worldbuilding. Because we rarely explain things to ourselves that we already know.
There’s Bob with Cindy, his third girlfriend this year.
There’s Bob. Is it Cindy? No, that was the second one. Mindy? I don’t remember.
Do you struggle to identify info dumps in your work? What’s your Achilles heel? What kind of info dumps are you most prone to committing without realizing it?
About Lisa
Lisa Hall-Wilson is a writing teacher and award-winning writer and author. She’s the author of Method Acting For Writers: Learn Deep Point Of View Using Emotional Layers. Her blog, Beyond Basics For Writers, explores all facets of the popular writing style deep point of view and offers practical tips for writers.
She runs the free Facebook group Going Deeper With Emotions where she shares tips and videos on writing in deep point of view.
