30 Days of Writing, Day 09 → How do you get ideas for your char­ac­ters? Describe the process of cre­at­ing them.

Mostly my characters come from people I know. In Shell Game, the characters of Jamie, Kyle, Libby, Laura, Joanna, and Dr. Alfredi are all based on acquaintances or friends of mine. Sarah’s appearance was inspired by one of the grocery baggers at my local grocery store – primarily the fact that she has short hair and is always smiling.

The creation of a character is pretty organic. It usually starts with a line or a situation, and then fills in the rest of the way.