CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Creating Characters That Leave an Impression


When I reached that inevitable midlife moment, I decided to take my life down a different course (appropriately enough!) and turn to writing. Through my three published novels, I have tried to deliver a message about our society through the voices and actions of a series of characters. Brought together by my love for the wonderful game of golf, the assorted personalities who gather at the Prairie Winds Golf Course in St. Louis each offer a unique perspective on who we are and how we relate to one another.

I spent some time recently thinking through many of the men and women who have been created through the pages of my books, and my thoughts quickly turned to the readers who I have been fortunate enough to have enjoy my work. Has there been a particular character that has stood out in your mind, either for positive or negative reasons? Is there is a person about whom you are still thinking, and you would like to know the latest developments in his life? Or, maybe you just want some answers to pieces of a personality that you think are still missing.

If you have read Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, and/or Tuey’s Course, I would love to hear your thoughts about the characters I have created! Are you drawn to the African American man who cannot catch a break in the power structure that exists in his town? What about the cancer patient who uses his illness to teach young men about maintaining a fighting spirit and strong work ethic? How did some of the more nefarious characters fare once behind bars?

Let me know who struck you. Your input will be valuable to me as I move forward with future books and I may even use some of your suggestions to create new dialogue to post on this blog. Please contact me at james@authorjamesross.com.

No comments: