Tip Tuesday #169 AND GIVEAWAY OF THE CIRCLE

Tip Tuesday features writers' tips on craft, research, querying, blogging, marketing, inspiration, and more. If you'd like to send in a tip, please e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail(dot)com.

Hi Everyone! Natalie here today. Today I have a fantastic tip by middle grade author Cindy Cipriano on character development. Her new middle grade fantasy, THE CIRCLE, was released June 1st. Details of the giveaway will be at the end of the post.

So here’s Cindy.

Love Your Characters

Ah, your characters. You know, those folks you create to tell your story? No matter their disposition, good, bad, or just plain mean, you’ve gotta love ‘em. If not, who will?

I spend a great deal of time when it comes to character development. I want my characters to move beyond the written page and into the lives of my readers. I want my readers to love my characters, to worry about them, and cheer them on.

Character development is more than giving your characters interesting lives, friendships, and hair/eye color. When introducing your character, be slow to reveal details. This gives your readers time to get to know them. It’s really pretty simple, I mean in real life you wouldn’t say, “Hi this is my friend Dessie. She’s 35 and a mess. She’s lost every job she’s ever held, and no man is good enough for her. Even her cats run away.” This detailed, but rushed introduction may leave your reader feeling frustrated with Dessie, when what you were hoping for was a little compassion.

Revealing Dessie’s “issues” in a gradual manner allows your reader to connect to her, sympathize with her, dislike the boyfriends she’s rejected, and maybe understand she’s more of a dog person. Your readers will grow to like Dessie and hope she will thrive in all of those challenging situations you’ve got in store for her.

Maintain reader interest in your characters by making them dynamic. Let your readers see them at their most vulnerable, when they experience self-doubt, as well as when they succeed. This allows your readers to invest in your character’s future. I love hearing from readers who are very much worried about characters in my stories. “What will happen to them?” “Are they all right?” This engagement with my readers tells me I’ve done my part with character development.

I’ve even included “deleted scenes” on my website so readers can learn even more about my characters. Please visit www.TheSidheSeries.com to see what I mean. And, if you’ve read The Circle, I hope you will let me know how I’ve done using one of the forms on the same site.

Happy Writing!
Cindy Cipriano

Bio:
Cindy Cipriano lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and 27 pets. Okay, maybe not 27. More like three dogs, one cat, and many, many, fish. Cindy enjoys spending time with her family, writing, and the avoidance of cooking.

Cindy is a 2012 recipient of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund PRISM award, and was named Outstanding Science Teacher in 2009 by the NC Science Teachers Association.

The Circle is Cindy’s first novel, and the first book in the Sidhe Series. Two of her short stories, "What Lance Saw," and "Miller's Island," were published in the children's anthology, Doorway to Adventure (September, 2010).

Here’s a description of THE CIRCLE from Goodreads:

Calum Ranson is sure of three things: his cousin Finley is alive, Calum will find him, and no one knows Calum and his family are Sidhe. No one until Laurel shows up at his mother’s bookstore wearing a dark clan’s mark.

When Calum learns the details surrounding the disappearance of Laurel’s brother, he suspects the evil Hobayeth clan. Calum and Laurel work together in the Realm of Man and the Otherworld to rescue her brother – revealing a connection between Calum and Laurel that may cost Finley his life.

Cindy has generously offered a copy of THE CIRCLE for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on July 27th. I’ll announce the winner on July 29th.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. This is for US/Canada residents only.

Hope to see you next Monday when I interview author Dianne Salerni’s daughter for my ASK THE EXPERT series and give away an ARC of THE 5TH WAVE, an awesome sci-fi/dystopian novel.