posted on November 7, 2018 by Kat Martin

Listening to my Characters

No question, writing dialogue in a novel can be tricky.  Each character has a unique voice distinct from the others in the book.

Since I’ve never been particularly good at description, letting the characters tell the story is my favorite way to craft a novel.

Of course there has to be narration, ways to move the story forward and set the scene, and different writers use different techniques, sometimes a single character’s actions and observations, or just a majority of narrative to tell the tale.

But I like dialog.  It gives me a chance to get right into the character’s head.  I have to think like he or she does, I have to feel as if I am that person.

I go out of my way not to bore my readers with stuff like “How are you?”  “I am fine.”  But once I get my characters talking, I let them talk.  I want to hear what they have to say as much as the reader!

I’m not really sure how a character’s voice gets into a writer’s head, but they all seem to be distinctly different.  Once I sat in front of the post office with the car windows rolled up and tried to hear the voice of every person walking out.

It was amazing!  No two imaginary voices sounded the same.  Strange but true.

So I hope when you read my novels you hear the voices of the people loud and clear.  In WAIT UNTIL DARK, my new digital novella, you’ll get to know Jonah Wolfe and April Vale, and meet the detectives, bounty hunters, and bodyguards in my upcoming Maximum Security series, starting with THE CONSPIRACY, out January 22nd.

Until then, I hope you have fun listening to the voices in my books and that you’ll look for WAIT UNTIL DARK and THE CONSPIRACY.

Till next time, all best wishes and happy reading,

Kat

     

Kat Martin

Kat Martin

Bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, in Missoula, Montana, Kat has written sixty-eight Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.

https://www.katmartin.com

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