Paradise 21 Blog Tour: Guest Post: Challenges and Rewards of Character Building by Aubrie Dionne

Challenges and Rewards of Character Building

When I started writing about six years ago, setting, tone, and imagery were my strong points. Not characters. At. All. My characters were too perfect. I was afraid to give them flaws: afraid my characters would be….dum dum dum….unlikeable.

But in doing so, I made them too perfect and un-relatable. Flaws are what make us human, and how we deal with our flaws makes us who we are.

For me, the challenge of character building was giving my characters flaws they’d have to grapple with, and in the end, overcome. It wasn’t easy.

In Paradise 21, Aries is unable to put others in front of her own wants and needs, to serve the purpose of the greater good. She overcomes this flaw when she meets and falls for Striker, and ultimately puts his life above her own, winning his love in the process.

The rewards of character building are watching my characters grow and using their character arcs to further the plot. When I get it right, everything falls into place like I’ve just figured out some giant puzzle. It’s amazing.

What is the most interesting character flaw to read/write about?

About Aubrie Dionne:

Website / Blog

Aubrie is an author and flutist in New England. Her stories have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, A Fly in Amber, and several print anthologies including Skulls and Crossbones by Minddancer Press, Rise of the Necromancers, by Pill Hill Press, Nightbird Singing in the Dead of Night by Nightbird Publishing, Dragontales and Mertales by Wyvern Publications, A Yuletide Wish by Nightwolf Publications, and Aurora Rising by Aurora Wolf Publications. Her epic fantasy is published with Wyvern Publications, and several of her ebooks are published with Lyrical Press and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. When she’s not writing, she plays in orchestras and teaches flute at Plymouth State University and a community music school.



TOUR STOPS:

Monday, August 8th - A Journey of Books / Guest Post, Where Aubrie got the idea for Paradise 21
Tuesday, August 9th - Paranormal Opinion / Guest Post, Paradise 21: Space Pirates with a Chip on Their Shoulder
Wednesday, August 10th - The Great, The Good and The Bad / Guest Post, Sci fi terminology in Paradise 21
Thursday, August 11th - The Magic Attic / Character Interview, Striker
Friday, August 12th - We Fancy Books / Guest Post, The baddies in Paradise 21

Monday, August 15th - My Bookish Ways / Author Interview
Tuesday, August 16th - Oodles of Books / Guest Post, Luggage in Space
Wednesday, August 17th - Mission To Read / Guest Post, Creating your own world: Positives and Negatives
Thursday, August 18th - Books Like Breathing / Character Interview, Aries
Friday, August 19th - Burning.x.Impossibly.x.Bright / Guest Post, Character Building: Challenges and Rewards

Tuesday, August 23th - The Fiction Enthusiast / Guest Post, Paradise 21: the twenty first planet capable of sustaining life
Wednesday, August 24th - Bewitched Bookworms / Author Interview
Thursday, August 25th - The Book Faery Reviews / Guest Post, What Makes Space Opera So Awesome?
Friday, August 26th- The Well-Read Wife / Guest Post, Pirate names: learn the crew of the Morphic Marauder

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Visit Paradise 21's Tour Page on Kismet Book Touring's website for more information.