Dig Deeper by Helen Henderson

Windmaster Legacy by Helen Henderson
Click the cover for purchase information

A question I have been wrestling with lately is how to make a character real. Reference books on characterization offer various tips, then it is in the author's hands. I remember reading the western novels by one of my father's favorite authors. After a while I realized the author had fallen into a rut. Each lead male character had the identical physical description down to hair color.

A novel notebook or series bible helps me keep the characters straight from book to book and within a series. Although cover images are not always selected until the work is completed, a practical reason to reuse the same hair color is the availability of cover models. You don't want to write a character with an unusual hair color, then find out that there is no suitable cover shot. Editing an entire novel to just change hair color wastes time and increases the possibilities of error. And that doesn't even include the possibility of a character getting mad at me as their creator and refusing to cooperate in telling the story.

My favorite part of a character is their backstory. The character's past and how their experiences, culture, and family all blend together to not only form the individual's personality, but also how they will react to a given circumstance. What can be a challenge is not putting everything I know about a character into a story. To create mystery while allowing the reader to use their imagination in a blending of the writer's and the reader's vision, details need to be sprinkled like a fine spice rather than giving the reader an encyclopedia.

A child who grew up during the Great Depression might handle money differently than one who knew only an abundance of opportunity. One might reuse items until they are no longer functional and put money away for lean times. The other who never knew hard times or went without, might never have two cents in their pocket because they spend everything they have and trust there will always be more.

A lot of considerations went into creating the archmage, Lord Dal. A chieftain's son, magic cost him the possibility of leading his clan. Yet he retained knowledge obtained during his formative years. A talented horseman and skilled swordsman helped him obtain a position in a mercenary unit, but a natural ability to lead helped him rise through the ranks. These same skills aided him after his powers asserted themselves and he eventually became archmage, head of the School of Mages, and responsible for all those with powers. In response to the totality of his experiences and background, duty, honor and loyalty were ingrained into his personality.

       Part of a character is his friends. In the case of Lord Dal,
a long-time friend is the head stallion of the falaire herd, Tairneach.

While not all characters receive a detailed physical description, follows is Lord Dal's. In Windmaster Legacy, he is in his early thirties. Even though men from the M’twan Mountains run to long in the leg, Dal is a full head taller than many of his kin. The scars on his forearms from practice blades and actual battles tell of his experiences as a mercenary.

Dal's black hair is short on sides and falls to just below shoulder in back. Besides his muscular frame which hints at his true strength, one of the first things many people notice about him are his light brown eyes that tend to sparkle with an internal amusement.

I hope you've enjoyed this deeper dig into Lord Dal.

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

~Until next month, stay safe and read.  

Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination.
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Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who have adopted her as one the pack.