Guest Blogger - LA Burton

[naomi_jay]

My guest today is my long-time writing friend, LA Burton, author of the Logan Wolf Chronicles which debuted this year with STORM OF MAGICK. I'm delighted to have Lisa here - we've been through a lot together over the years, both personally and professionally. So here we go!

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Our characters have to be believable for our readers to get lost in the story. I can only speak for myself on how I go about creating a believable character. I know it sounds strange but I start with the name then I build around that. Once the name is settled, I get a stronger sense of what kind of person they are.

I base all my characters looks off actors, which makes them more real for me. And it makes it easier for me to picture my characters as physical beings while I write. It’s also easier to describe someone you can actually see and help the reader visualise as they read. My next step is to start developing the character’s essence such as birth date, which will help dictate a character’s disposition and reactions to what life throws at them.

Next, I write down all the stats of all my characters. Never leave things to your memory because we all forget some details, and the small details are often the most crucial. With my main character, I have taken my own characteristics and supercharged them for Logan. Also in my other characters, I have put a lot of thought into each. Some are enhancements of people I know, or have traits I wish people had.

In all, I have created people that I would enjoy hanging around. It’s going to sound weird but my characters are like my family and friends and I’ve become very protective of them. I hope this will help other writers as they build their own worlds and stories.

Thanks,
LA Burton
www.laburton.org

LA wasn’t your normal child. She's dreamed of vampires and werewolves ever since she was a little girl. The only weird thing is - they didn’t scare her. Her looks were decieving. People think she's nice and unassuming, but underneath she was always dark and twisted, with pink around the edges. Nothing has changed.

All grown up now, L.A. can be found researching and writing her novels. In her spare time she's writing spells, reading tarot cards, and practicing witchcraft. L.A. lives in Ohio with her family, cat (Crysie), the ghost of her late cat (Cougar) and a Jack Russell Terrier (Piper), which keeps her busy.

L. A. Burton started writing eight years ago. She belongs to Backspace, an on-line writing community, and the Other World Writing Group, started by Kelley Armstrong. After years of editing, changing story plots and refining characters, the first book in her Logan Wolf Chronicles series is finished. Her book is available at Lulu.com or her website. It will be available on Amazon in a couple of months. You can also ask Medina Borders to carry it.

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Remember, to be in with a chance of winning an AFTERLIFE Bag of Swag, including a copy of STORM OF MAGICK, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post or any other guest blog throughout the month. Go now!

Comments

[craving-vintage.livejournal.com]

Good stuff to know. And she has my favorite dog in the world. And a cat and a ghost cat. :)

Thanks!

[laburton.livejournal.com]

Jacks are great.