Hiya! This is the start to a brand new blog series, inspired by one of my sisters who is the official questioner behind all of these Budding Writer Questions. Here’s the deal: she asks the questions and I do my best to answer them in a helpful way for young Christians who write. Are you ready? Let’s go!

“What should a normal day look like for my character?”

Naturally, the answer to this question is different for each writer, because their characters all stand in various timeframes and circumstances, and with a variety of companions. However, there are some basic tools that we can all use, regardless of those things.

Imagine you already know how your hero lives and you want your readers to enter into the story and get to know. You want the readers to feel what the character feels, you want them to touch the things your character handles daily, and step foot in the places the hero likes, and meet the people your character loves!

That’s exactly what we’re going to do with these four tools.

The first tool is creating feel. I like to think of using a battery. A normal day in our lives has both good things and bad things, positive and negative. It’s part of living in a cursed world.  We need to help our readers feel what is good and what is bad to our character, so a normal day incorporates both.

Good things are routine, meaning they occur often in our hero’s life. He can expect them to happen and looks forward to knowing that’s going to come. That can be as simple as breakfast.

Good things are done together. Your character has at least one other person he likes doing it with him.

Also, good things include your character’s favorites. Food, toys, animals, places. One or more of his favorites is included in this routine, good thing he does with someone (or more than one someone) he likes.

That’s the positive side of the battery.

Bad things are abnormal. They don’t happen every day and are unexpected. It usually causes extra work for the hero and delays the good things.

Bad things also make him go alone. It can separate the hero from those he likes to be around and make him feel lonely, the hours get long, and everything seems to go wrong.

Bad things are also the presence of your character’s least favorite things. Darkness, spiders, injuries (even small ones), and the big emotions (fear, sadness, anxiety, anger, etc.).

That’s the negative side of the battery.

And imagine a loop running ‘round and ‘round the battery – positive, negative, positive – through the days and weeks. That’s how life is, right? That’s how we’ll write a normal day, too. Good things and bad things.

That’s the first tool.

The second tool is creating objects to handle. Think of these like toys. We when read, we imagine what it would be like to be that character and do those things. Whatever your character touches, the reader also handles in their mind. So, what toys do you want them to play with?

Toys are fun. We want these objects to be fun, too, and directly tied to the hero’s good things each day. For instance, horse tack, car keys, screwdriver, basket.

The way you create these objects is easy. First, you give a short description. Then, you show the character putting it into action. Done. See what I mean?

The third tool is creating places. These are the ordinary, familiar places your character likes. Let your readers step where your characters are stepping.

Now, descriptions are not always our favorite thing to tackle, so let me help you out. Think of it like moose tracks ice cream. If you haven’t seen it before, moose tracks ice cream is vanilla for the “snow” with chocolate swirls for “sticks” and mini Reese’s peanut butter cups for the “moose prints.” Pretty fun, right?

Now, bring to mind your character’s favorite place. What are just three aspects of that place you think of each time you imagine it? Write those down and leave it simple. To make it fun, compare them to your favorite food, animal, or thing and write it down as your description.

The fourth tool is creating connection. It helps us get to know the people your character interacts with on a normal basis. Think of this one like magnets. These people either draw him close or push him away. The ones who draw him close are the ones he likes and spends time with; they are part of his good times. The ones who push him away are the ones he dislikes and prefers not to spend time with; they are part of his bad times.

You will use all these four tools interchangeably and multiple times over as you create a normal day for your character!

I hope this lends you a helping hand. Blessed writing, friend!

If you would like help with your specific project, feel free to comment below and ask me! Or, if you would prefer keeping your project under wraps, you can email me, too!