Who’s on First?

No I’m not referring to baseball or a stage production. I’m talking about characters making their debuts in a novel. Introducing a main character can be a tricky situation fraught with many appealing options. Do you let the character introduce himself?

Call me Ishamel. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Or have him introduced by someone else?

He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it that you may come across four or five times in life. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Or by the author?

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever and rich with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her. Emma by Jane Austen

Then there’s the choice of using narrative:

He didn’t know what hit him. The Prize by Julie Garwood

or dialogue:

“Who is she?” Sunny Chandler’s Return by Sandra Brown

The choices a writer faces can be exciting and daunting at the same time. The key is knowing who to focus on and why. Usually when the reader enters a story she wants a character to identify with or at least care about. Even ordinary, regular characters have to draw us in (please note you can have dull characters, but their story must never be.) And if we can’t care about them, then they should at least be interesting.

Readers have to invest in the character or there’s no reason to complete the book. Stories are about someone’s reaction to something—love, death, hunger, greed, ambition the list could go on, which brings me back to the main point of this essay--Introduction.

When I’m introducing a character I like to think about the three Is-- Interest, impact and intent. First, I like to make a character interesting or at least their situation interesting. Second, whether big or small I want the character to make an impact, either on other characters or on the reader or preferably both.

Lastly, is the intent of the character. What do they want and how do they plan to get it?

Now in essence this sounds very simple, but when I had to put the three Is into practice for my Black Stockings Society series about four women, one club and a secret that will make all their fantasies come true, things became a little complicated.

Your browser may not support display of this image. I tried to use the three “Is” when I first introduced Mary in Power Play (July 2008) the first book in the series about a woman who starts out as a lamb but turns into a vixen with the help of The Society. I went around in circles wondering the best way to introduce Mary who was rather mousy and overlooked, then the hero Edmund came up with the perfect line that helped me introduce both of them. It starts with one sentence:

“I want her.”

In that one sentence I hoped to portray two things—a man who goes after what he wants and the women who becomes, in essence, his prey. And, of course, there’s that lovely double entendre that I hope will capture readers interests--Why would a good looking man want a mouse like Mary?

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However, I had to shift gears with the second book in the series A Gentleman’s Offer (October 2008). Yvette wasn’t mousy and Nate never had to go after anything, everything came to him on a silver platter. The premise is a rich man and a poor woman switch places. How do I set up this idea? I had to think about whom to introduce first, which wasn’t hard because it was Yvette’s story--how she wants to live the life of the wealthy. Again I used dialogue, but I didn’t use the hero. I had her employer introduce the reader with this line:

“Is that groomer girl still here?”… Ahh yes and for you savvy readers, no doubt you recognized the Cinderella edge to that statement. Mrs. Penny Kerner is no stepmother, but she comes close. Ask anyone who works for her or her poor daughter.

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By the time I reached Body Chemistry (January 2009) the third book in the series, I was ready to switch gears. I didn’t want to start with dialogue. Brenda Everton, the heroine, was a serious ‘good girl’ and I wanted to introduce her through narrative. Unfortunately, my original attempts fell flat. Here was a reunion story about a biologist who reconnects with her devilish ex-husband with the help of the society. How should I introduce her? I thought of a problem and came up with the reason she would have to meet him—a letter of rejection for much needed funding.

Dear Dr. Everton:

We regret to inform you that the National Science Research Board has decided not to fund your project…

Her reaction to this notice tells you a lot about her. No she doesn’t scream or throw a fit (she’s nothing like me) she just sits calmly and deals with the news in a professional manner.

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Now with the fourth and final book in the series, my recent release Round the Clock (June 30, 2009), I faced my biggest dilemma. I needed to introduce this heroine, Anna Marie Williams in the right way. The looming question was how? How do I introduce a kind ‘people pleaser’ with a bullying boss called “The Cobra” and leach of a boyfriend named Bruno without her appearing like a sap? Do I describe her? No, she’s cute but not extraordinary. Do I have someone else describe her? No, they would agree with me. I tried starting with dialogue then a narrative, but neither work. So instead I thought about what Anna Marie wanted and the first line came to me:

“More than anything in the world, Anna Marie Williams wanted two things: 1) to tell her boss to shut up and 2) a night with Desmond Rockwell.”

And with that she made her debut. Hopefully this introduction is a success and readers will be interested in Anna Marie and want to find out if she gets what she wants.

I’ve had fun introducing the four different ladies of The Black Stockings Society and with the completion of the series I’m ready to introduce new characters for readers to enjoy.

If you haven’t read the books in my series and you’re interested to see the difference between how I introduced Brenda in Body Chemistry and Anna Marie in Round the Clock I’ll send a copy of each book to a random commenter selected today. (You have to be registered on this site to enter; Sam will choose the winner).

What character introductions have stuck out in your mind? Do you prefer a character to introduce themselves or someone else?

Thank you to the Cigar ladies for hosting this guest blog.