I never feel that I know my characters very well until I finish the first draft of a manuscript. That’s one of the great things about writing a series. Characters return in future books. Since Frances and George are in every book, I feel like I know them as well as my family, and recurring characters come pretty close.
If Frances needs someone to support her, there are several characters I can call on. Hetty Chesney, Frances’ aunt is older and wiser, always ready for a good adventure, and generally has good advice. Lady Fiona Nash will always take Frances’ side, knows everything about everyone, and is the perfect shoulder to cry on. Daisy Price, Frances’ mother always comes through in the end, but will drive Frances bonkers first. Her sister, Lily, will eventually defend Frances, but she’s generally more concerned about herself to even notice there’s a problem.
What all this means is if I bring them into a story, I know how they’ll react in any given situation. While I always have some new characters in each book to figure out, I also have a cast of reliable characters.
Until now.
In the book I’m writing now, Frances and George have gone to Paris to investigate a murder. I could not take all their friends, family, and accomplices, so I had to create a whole new cast of secondary characters.
I’d forgotten how difficult that was.
Not since book one, have I produced such a horrible, messy first draft. My French inspector changed his personality at least three times in the first 100 pages. And he wasn’t alone. Only one of my new characters stayed true to the characteristics I gave him when I started this draft. All the way through, they kept surprising me, and I kept wondering—who are these people?!
While I worried it would never happen, I did finally finish the first draft. I came away with a much better understanding of these new characters and how best to work with them. It’s a little like putting a team together. You want everyone to play to their strengths. And yes, I know these are fictional people but that does not mean I control them.
With this new understanding, I tackled the second draft. So much had to change, but now that it’s done, it is so much better. There will be a third draft and even a fourth one, but I’m past the panic stage and I’m no longer forcing characters to act out of character. I really love this new adventure in Paris, but I have to admit, I’m not ready to take Frances and George to another location any time soon.
