What Makes Your Characters Tick?

Want to find out what's really inside your main character. Have your heroine just about to take a nice hot shower when wham! Nothing but cold water comes out. Anywhere. The hot water heater is broken. And she's got house guests coming to stay with her for a long weekend. How will she react?

Wait a minute. That's me. Today.

Back to fiction land (sorry for the whiplash)...it's little tests of character that actually build your character. This type of scene shows what's inside your heroine in a far more lasting way than simply saying "Jane Doe is a sweet gal" or "Jane Doe has a temper." Giving the reader a peek at her reaction to the monkey wrenches life sometimes throws is the best way to showcase your character.

Even better is to show change in her reactions over time, throughout the length of the book. A cold shower might raise the needle on her rage-o-meter in the first few chapters, but by the end of the book the same situation could drive her to her knees in prayer. That's called a character arc. Do it.

Now then. I'm off to heat up some water on the stove to wash my face. My reaction? Neither of the above, actually. I simply called my husband.