Guest Blogger, Kimber Chin

Note from Carmen: While I'm away on vacation, Kimber agreed to write a few guest posts. You'll adore her as much as I do, I'm sure.

Being True To Your Characters – Kimber Chin

I don't cuss. At all. Sometimes I say hell but that's about it. This isn't because I hold myself to any higher moral code than the profanity using world. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

No, I don't cuss because I am the second eldest of six kids and because I babysat during my teenage years to raise much needed cash. As any mom, big sister, honorary auntie will tell you, kids quite happily repeat everything you say and will then give you full credit for teaching them that wonderful word.

My characters cuss. Hagen, my hero in Invisible, deals with his grief by getting angry. Extremely angry men cuss. And he does. Often and loudly.

That's what being true to your character is all about. It is about writing them as THEY should be written, not as you'd like them to be. It is about having them do things you'd never in a million years consider doing. In Breach Of Trust, the hero Philippe, when in doubt, fires the woman he loves. Because he would. That's the type of man he is. I'd think about the situation more but he's used to making quick decisions and taking action on them.

Characters doing things I wouldn't normally is my benchmark for whether I'm feeling a character or not. I create situations. My characters should react to them. If I'm pulling the strings, making the character say things or do things, I know he or she isn't real enough to me. I know that if Maeve, my heroine in Invisible, is faced with a dangerous situation, she's going to turn tail and run. I know if she's asked a question, she'll give the shortest possible answer. I know that as surely as I know my own hubby would, like Hagen, give the longest possible answer. That's how real she is to me.

Of course, that's also why writers get so defensive about their characters. Their heroes or heroines are friends, family. But that's a whole other post.

Named Love Romances And More's Rising Star for Spring 2009, Kimber Chin writes contemporary romances set in the sexy world of business. Her latest release, Invisible, is a contemporary treasure hunt romance through the world of hidden identities. A world where loyalty and love can be found in the most unexpected places. You can track her down on http://businessromance.com/ where she gives away her favorite eBooks, shares short stories, and posts photos of good looking men in business suits.