Character Development 1:01 (Noon – Midnight)

When you’re in the brainstorming stages of writing a novel it’s invaluable to take the time to get to

know your characters. This doesn’t mean you’ll end up including all the things you might discover about your MC (main character). It only means you’ve done your homework and you’ve gotten to know your characters so well you won’t even hesitate when thinking about how they’d respond to certain situations.

I’m breaking up the clock to help you ask some imperative character questions. The following will enable you to get better acquainted with those most important to your story, which will in turn create a more believable, dynamic novel.

Noon

What is your MC’s favorite food? Is she eating lunch alone? Does she binge eat or peck away at her food? Does she skip lunch all together because she’s too busy working? Is she on a night shift and still sleeping at this hour? Is she tired of turning down an annoying coworker’s lunch invitations? Is she throwing Lunchables on the table for her four grumbly children?

1 pm

Does he keep track of every hour, obedient to his OCD tendencies? Is he polite, holding doors for those behind him when he reenters his work building? Does he have a crush on every woman he gets in the cab with but has no idea how to initiate a conversation? Does he chew his subordinates out in a holy tirade if they’re late to the office after lunch but he’s always late himself? Is there a quick trip to the dry cleaner? The bar? The woman he looks after at the nursing home down the street from his office?

2 pm

Is she a loud yawner? Does she beat herself up for staying out late one too many nights in a row? Is she dead to the world on the couch, desperate to find the remote? Does she have makeup on and is it wearing off by now? Does she take her earrings off every afternoon at this time? Is her best friend waiting to gossip with her at the water cooler? Online? At the mall? What does her home look like at this time? Immaculate because the cleaning crew just finished or a tornado of toys because it was her turn to host the playdate?

3 pm

Is he worked up, regretting the email he sent her last night? Does he take the dog for a three hour walk? What snack is he craving? Are there people waiting to hear back from him he keeps blowing off for some reason? Does he take his sweater off, afraid he’s going to sweat too much and everyone will know? Is this the time of day he goes to war with his headaches? Has he gone to a doctor? Is he afraid too because of what happened to his dad?

4 pm

Does she get her second wind? Is she tempted to hit on her boss? Is she scared the gym coach will be waiting for outside the locker rooms? Does it take everything inside her not to quit because she needs this job to feed her kids? Is she pouring her first drink? Her fourth? Is her best friend complimenting her clothes again this week in attempt to hide that she’s been sleeping with her husband? Is she signing up for her first missions trip? Does the idea of spending the rest of the night alone depress her beyond belief? Is she excited to see her boyfriend after he’s spent years serving abroad?

5 pm

Is he going on his first date ten years after his wife died? Is he cursing with the windows down in traffic, cutting people off left and right? Is he dreaming of another life, one where he doesn’t has to face his ailing mom and deadbeat dad when he gets home? Is he about to get a promotion? Is his receding hairline pissing him off so he yells at his kids and then feels bad about it? Does he scrub up before surgery or forget one time, then fight fears for the rest of the night?

6 pm

What kind of home does she live in? Is a meal on the table? Does she check online to whip something up for her family? Has she secretly thrown out her food for weeks while her parents applaud her for her excellent grades and her nomination to student government? Who is excited to eat dinner with her? Who isn’t? Does she talk to the homeless man on the step before she enters her apartment or does she shove his bottle aside and kick him a little to make sure he’s not dead?

7 pm

Is he on deadline and hasn’t stopped running all day? Do his eyes blur when he pulls her picture out of his desk drawer, running his thumb over her impressionable smile? Does he run seven miles every night at this time? Is his beer belly starting to grow? Is he rooting for his favorite team at the bar with his friends? Or by himself as he wonders when the hitman will every show up? Does he wish he could go to all the nicer restaurants in town, counting the small change in his wallet? Or is he at a fine restaurant wondering when all this—the chandeliers, the over attentive waiters, the tiny displays of food on his plate became important to him?

8 pm

Is she going to join the circus tonight against her parents’ wishes? Does she wish she had just one more month left to spend with her growing grandkids? Is nothing on TV so she decides to visit the dealer on the corner? Or sleep with her neighbor after he’s pursued her for months? Does she already have her pajamas on or stilettos? Is she exhausted after another day wheeling around her handicapped child but she’s never felt more fulfilled in her life? Is she going to make the call? Write the letter? Take the risk? Or just go to bed early?

9 pm

Does he buy wine for the party where everyone will be straight but him? And does the hostess know? Will she treat him weird? When does he pop the question to his girlfriend and will she think it’s only because she told him she’s pregnant? Does he down two fingers of scotch or abstain because…? Does he avoid going to bed because sleep is futile? Is it time to go to the hospital to finally see her? Or time to see the doctor about that little problem? Why, he wonders, does nighttime always bring so many questions?

10 pm

Is she watching the game? Writing her dissertation? Snacking for the hundredth time today? Does she beat herself up over telling him her secret earlier today? Can she trust him? Is her bed comfortable? Are there crumbs in it? Too many memories of random lovers? Does she write in her diary that she’s afraid? Her journal? Say it as a prayer she’s not sure will be heard?

11 pm

Does he sleep with the lights on because that’s what he’s done ever since the attack? Or since his time in prison? Does he call and hang up? Is he reading that thriller he can’t put down and secretly wonders if it’s time he take a stab at writing? Does he wrestle with whether he loves her, twisting the sheets around himself like a mummy? Or is he wrapping his arm around her waist, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo? Is he playing a late game of soccer? Or planning his trip to Paris? Or fighting demons in his sleep? Does he doubt anyone cares he’s alive? In the darkness, is he letting go for the first time ever?

~

If you ever get stumped while writing a novel ask questions like the above. Don’t settle for the usual suspects. Probe. Dig. Go out of your way to get to know your characters. They’ve been waiting.

As June Carter Cash would say, “Time’s a Wastin’” so get to it! It’s time to bring some characters to life.

Weak

Strong mama. Strong backbone. Strong boundary setter. Strong, but mostly silent opinions. Strong

faith. Strong body. Strong sister. Strong daughter. Strong pet owner. Strong writer. Strong reader. Strong dishwasher fixer. Strong reputation. Strong communicator. Strong endurance. Strong empathizer. Strong saver. Strong outlook. Strong consultant. Strong advocate. Strong mindset. Strong interpreter. Strong bones. Strong friend. Strong healer. Strong marriage. Strong vision. Strong runner. Strong records. Strong experience. Strong recovery. Strong future. Strong soul.

I feel the demand—the need—to be strong in so many areas.

And I’m going to tell you openly and honestly that often I feel weak. I push through each day. It’s like I’m about to jump into one of those rotating spin doors, gauging when to hop in at the right time, torn between fearing I’ll be squashed because I took a risk or that the door will keep whooshing by and I’ll end up in the exact same spot as always. Going nowhere.

Good thing I know I’m not alone in this. I’ve met others. There are plenty of you out there who pep talk yourself into the strong each morning. Plenty who lean into the creative so the strong will surface. There’s an army of us.

It’s nice. For one blessed moment, it feels good . . . to admit weakness.

To know there are heads behind screens nodding, women smiling, and warmed by the truth I just shared. And because I did, I happen to believe we both just grew a little stronger together.

Need Something to Read?

It’s been awhile since I’ve highlighted my books here. 

Here are four you can order on Amazon 

(plus the anthology I was featured in). 

Hope you’ll check them out.

The Disappearing Key 

Gabrielle Bivane never expected parenting a teenager would be this hard, but she never expected stillborn Oriana to live to see fourteen, either. The night of Oriana's birth, Gabrielle and her husband Roy fused their genetic and engineering geniuses to bring back all that was lost to them—at a cost. 

The secret must be kept. 

Oriana Bivane senses she’s not like the other girls her age, but the time has come for her to change all that. She’s tired of secrets, but does she confide in the wrong person? 

The life-giving key, suddenly missing, must be found. 

Reviews for The Disappearing Key

Wendy Paine Miller's novella The Disappearing Key is a mesmerizing, plot-twisting page-turner from the first sentence to the last. Part mystery, part drama, the story's suspenseful plot and intriguing characters will keep you on your toes and turning the pages, eager to find out what will happen next. The Disappearing Key will have you reading late into the night and leave you pondering the mysteries of miracles, faith, medicine and science long after you read the last word. 
 - Michelle DeRusha, author of Spiritual Misfit: A Memoir of Uneasy Faith 

I read this in one sitting. That's rare for me. But I needed to know what happened. The story was compelling and very intriguing. I look forward to seeing more from Ms. Miller! 

–Susie Finkbeiner, author of Paint Chips

The Flower Girls

Imagine staring into the face of a loved one with no recollection of who they are. Every person a stranger. Daisy O’Reilly's inability to recognize faces, a cognitive disorder resulting from a childhood accident, causes her to rely heavily upon her twin sister, Poppy. Perhaps too much so. Overwhelmed by Daisy’s needs, Poppy anticipates the freedom her upcoming wedding will bring—a chance to relinquish her obsessive worries about Daisy and escape the clutches of guilt from one hazy day when the girls were seven. When they were still invincible. With a thriving floral photography career but a floundering love life, Daisy questions how strong she will be on her own. And who she might become without Poppy living down the hall or offering a deluge of reminders during each social interaction. But for the O’Reilly sisters to properly let go, they must first understand what they’re holding on to.

 Reviews for The Flower Girls

Alternating between identical twin narrators with tragic secrets between them, Wendy Paine Miller's THE FLOWER GIRLS examines what is means to recognize -- or not recognize ourselves in others. It's a moving contemporary tale of blame, jealousy, longing, and how old scares can finally mend. 
–Susan Schoenberger, award-winning author of A Watershed Year

“Wendy Paine Miller writes with gentle wisdom about the complexities

of family relationships burdened with blame, secrets and loss. A poignant, emotional story about guilt, love, family, and the indestructible ties of sisterhood.

Fans of Kristin Hannah will love THE FLOWER GIRLS!”

–Lisa Verge Higgins, bestselling author of Random Acts of Kindness

The Delicate Nature of Love

Forty-four-year-old Emma Gates hasn't cared about much in life since becoming a widow two years ago. But then she meets the inquisitive and mercurial Zoey Chambers, her next door neighbor.

Who happens to be eleven.

Soon after, Emma is introduced to Colby Havelock, a psychology professor who reaches Emma in ways she didn't think were possible again after Max died. Emma considers the possibility of a new life with Colby. But Colby knows something about Zoey he cannot share. Could the eleven-year-old spark who helped Emma heal also be the fire that drives Colby and Emma apart?

Reviews for The Delicate Nature of Love

Through the irresistible charm of her flawed and fragile characters, Wendy Paine Miller gives us the chance we all need to renew our faith in the healing power of love.

—Kathryn Craft, author of The Art of Falling and The Far End of Happy

The Delicate Nature of Love is a beautiful novel that feels so true to life, readers will no doubt feel touched by the expertly woven story and lyrical writing. I know I do. Lovely story.

—Tina Ann Forkner, author of Waking Up Joy

The Short & Sincere Life of Ellory James

Seventeen-year-old Ellory James has six months to live. To appease her mother, Ellory reluctantly agrees to create a bucket list. She recruits her neighbor, Pete, to help her make it appear as though she’s carrying out ten life-dreams. Ellory is a bucket list faker—until she surprises herself by completing one item on her list and perhaps it’s the most important one of all.

What if life, however long we have left, isn’t so much about the things we do as why we do them--and who we do them with? 

Reviews for The Short & Sincere Life of Ellory James

This heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting tale will burrow its way into your heart...If you loved The Fault in Our Stars, this book is for you.

–Colleen Oakley, Before I Go

This is The Bucket List meets The Fault in Our Stars. Wonderful premise, lovable (and gutsy) characters...This is the first book I've read by this author but it absolutely won't be the last. –Julie Lawson Timmer, Five Days Left

I love my readers!!!

*My story Disappear is in Tales of Tinfoil

The Case of the Come Around Fox

I was having a day when I really felt like the mom of teenagers yesterday. Which led me to wake up with a strong desire for some inspiration—a refreshed start.

After getting my two older daughters off to school, and in the process of preparing my youngest for the bus, I thought to myself—well, actually it was more like I prayer…I prayed that today I’d spy the fox. You see, there’s this mystical, playful red fox that likes to visit our backyard about three or four times a year. And whenever I see it I’m awed. I’d call that fox my muse, but I almost feel it goes beyond writing. Whenever that fox comes around, my entire creative being is put at peace while simultaneously lit with a rejuvenated fire. I’d seen the fox recently so I sort of laughed off my request, feeling silly. And needy. For something that wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to anyone else. But that’s just it. That fox conjures some sort of mysterious wonder in me.

People ask me sometimes why I believe in God. I’ve experienced countless instances in my life when God has revealed his authenticity to me. Add this morning to that list. I ask, in a tired whisper, for one fox.

And I get two.

I joyfully watched these two frolic and scout the yard with my youngest for fifteen minutes. And like that, my day was infused with a brightened hope.

Shift in Perspective

A few days ago, my daughter approached me in the dining room, asking, “Do you see it?”

“See what?”

Forget Old Man and the Sea, my kid was asking if I saw the old man in the curtains.

I shook my head in disbelief as I leaned in to have a closer look. We’ve had these curtains for years. All it took was the imagination of my nine-year-old to introduce a whole new feature to the toile scene.

Remember the drawing of an old lady and a young, “pretty” one? Now my mind plays this trick whenever I walk into our dining room. My child instilled a shift of perspective.

Are you allowing things in your life to open your mind to unique possibilities? You never know what you could find.

Do you see it?

Oh, What a Deal!

I 8 Monday—What to Say When There Are No Words

Last week I read online about a family tragedy someone I know has been dealing with, a hardship that would make anyone who’s ever stressed over a dinner menu embarrassed beyond belief. My

heart leapt toward this woman and what she’s been going through. I began to imagine what she might possibly be feeling, with no real success. Only a strong attempt to understand. I spent time reading the reactions to her beautifully written, vulnerably raw post. Mostly, I felt incredibly thankful for the lack of judgment I encountered in the comments.

Which sadly, led me to several times of struggle in my own life where people shot off some incredibly stupid things. Specific incidences come to mind. In the aftermath of my miscarriages. When my family received news my sister’s tumor was malignant. But one of the worst “warnings” came when I visited a drug rehab as a sixth grader, in effort to help my older sister on her road toward recovery. One of the counselors looked right at me and said I’d end up just like my sister. (P.S. Hey Clueless Counselor from the late 80s, I am like my sister in creative and risk-taking ways. I did not turn out just like her in the heartbreaking addictions she’s suffered. Thanks for the vote of confidence. Did wonders for my sixth grade psyche.)

All this to say, I’ve come to learn there are ways to handle situations where few or no words suffice better than impulsive ramblings. Words will never cure a tragedy. But timely, discerning words, spoken with wisdom, can provide unexpected encouragement and a balm to the soul.

What To Say When There Are No Words

1. Love. Express your love for the person. So much is communicated in that one word. Often, you don’t need to bookend that word with anything. It’s strong on its own.
2. “I’m sorry you’re going through this.” Saying this evokes empathy and indicates that you care. It’s simple, but it can speak volumes.
3. “How can I be there for you?” People feel loved during times of hardship in different ways. A meal might be perfect for one person and repulsive to another. Some people need time to cry by themselves, while others need to know they can wipe their snotty nose on your sleeve and you won’t judge them.
4. Don’t feed them an answer for the unexplainable why. This one is more what not to say. Bite your tongue before you spill off a list of reasons why this tragedy might be happening. I got my share of these after the miscarriages. Not a single one comforted, encouraged, or made me feel at peace with my situation. Mostly, when people spouted off their guesses as to why I lost my babies I felt like they had some insider information I didn’t. I’ve grown more comfortable with leaving questions unanswered, at letting that be part of my journey.
5. Validate the hurt. There are unique ways to do this. Avoid saying things like “I know exactly how you feel...” Instead, focus on them and how the circumstances might be impacting their life.
6. “You are not alone.” Again, not the time to share a long story about how your Aunt Betty also got cancer and is now in complete remission. But…I do think there’s value in letting someone know they’re not alone. Certain situations can feel extremely lonely. This reminder, at a thoughtful time, can provide wonderful comfort.
7. Something. There’s the temptation to keep quiet, to not say anything out of fear you’ll say the wrong thing. I get it. I’ve said plenty of screwball things in my life, meaning well. But avoidance communicates the message that this great sad thing they’re going through isn’t important to you—that you have too much going on in your own life to bother to reach out.
8. Nothing. Wait, what? I know, I know. I just suggested to say something. But there’s a difference between saying any old thing and saying something well-timed and thought out. Just as there are seasons for everything, I truly believe there are times to just close your mouth and reach out your arms for a hug. Or times to pass on a letter. Or, as one child did so memorably for me following a long season of darkness, to extend out a handful of yellow daffodils. 

Hmm. I was only planning on whipping up a quick little post. Guess I had a lot to say on the subject. ;-)

*A huge shout-out thanks to Carrie, for you know what.