First of all, you have to remember that Darren loves Luisa.

…To hell and back.

And she’s taken him there, so she knows.

Second of all, you have to remember that Luisa owes Darren.

Even when he behaves badly (and oh boy; does he!)… she owes him…

* * *

My friend and beta reader was determined to dislike Darren, after the end of Book 1 of my Hart & Cole series.

I don’t want to give away spoilers — particularly when I’m not entirely sure when Book 2 will be polished and ready for mass consumption, but basically:

A very, very good man [despite his flaws] did a very, very bad thing. 

It’s easy to look at a character like Luisa and label her “weak”, and wonder why on earth she even makes an effort to forgive him, as she does at the start of Book 2. But you have to remember that everyone’s story is not the same.

This a man who loves his mama, and his two girls; and is raising his precocious son to be a good man.

This is a man who did the unthinkable, years ago, to try to save his marriage.

This is a woman who has always loved strong, imposing men.

This is a woman who broke THIS strong, imposing man, time and time again… and she knows this.

So, I repeat: everyone’s story is not the same.

My character is my longest relationship…

So, yes, up to the end of Book 1, I’m on board with my beta reader friend. I myself, as many women have, have been at the receiving end of a man that crossed the line.

Despite the outcome (and fortunately mine was a “good” outcome), there is that moment of fear, when you’re in an intimate setting… and you’re not 100% sure if your words are going to be enough.

So, like I was saying… there’s no excuse for Darren’s behaviour. And I wholeheartedly agree.

But, you see, here’s the thing: I LOVE Darren.

I’ve loved Darren for 15 years. He’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had.

He’s my favourite character I’ve ever created.

He’s kept me up at night. I’ve rewritten every one of his crucial scenes dozens of times over the years.

He is my Book 2 and Book 3 man, and he’s been the most fully formed character since long before Book 1 even had a title.

Though we meet him throughout Book 1, he doesn’t get to spread his wings until Book 2 and Book 3.

I can’t wait to share him, in his full glory, to the world.

He may be in my imagination, but he’s my muse.

…So I’m determined to make her love him, too. I’m determined to make everyone love him.

…Which means, I’ve got my work cut out for me.

The Journey & The Lessons Learnt

That aside, our ongoing squabble about my character led me to think of how we, as writers, develop our characters.

Is it okay to just let them unfold onto a blank page?

Do we have a list of actions they need to get in, before the story’s climax?

I wish I had such an intricate plan — it would help if I had a bullet point list I could plan around.

For me, my characters control me. I have to wait till they tell me.

They tell me their strengths, their weaknesses, what they can do, what they will do in a situation.

I like to make sure that all my characters learn something and go through something to get them somewhere important in their relationship by the end of each novel.

For Book 1‘s Kris and Nicole, their tumultuous 3-4 months was their relationship’s breaking point… when they were each at their worst.

So how do you keep that in mind, while setting up all the scenes that led them there?

Start with a Premise: 4 to 5 lines

I use a premise-based approach.

My Hart & Cole series overall has a simple premise: RELATIONSHIPS. MARRIAGE. PARENTHOOD. INFIDELITY. INSECURITY. There’s a lot you can do with all of that, without writing an elaborate tale. These are things we all go through at some point in time. These are things we all understand.

Assuming you’re a writer worth even a sprinkle of your salt, once you have the smallest kernel of a story, you can build from that into so much more.

Once you’ve got the premise, you just need to mesh the premise with the characters.

I try to break my premise down to 5 lines or less, and make sure that my characters’ motivation (even though it’s never SAID directly) will trace back to the 5-line character premise.

So, here’s my Book Bible for Book 1:

First of all, you need to know that Kris always wanted kids.

…And Nicole always wanted Kris.

But here’s the thing: you can’t half-ass motherhood and still expect to keep your “perfect” husband.

Second of all, you need to remember:

Mommy forgets everything.

I Command You To Love My Anti-hero

Once you keep that clear 5-line thought in your mind as you write, it’s a lot easier to build scenes around your characters.

If you finish Book 1 of my Hart & Cole series, and then go back to the beginning two chapters (available here), you’ll realise the entire plot is covered in the first two chapters.

Everything that happens, was alluded to there.

All the themes were mentioned; the upcoming “breaking point” event (for *both* of the main relationships)… was right there.

I began with the premise, and I used the premise to help with the foreshadowing of events to come.

By the time Book 2 rolls around, you soon realise Darren’s bad behaviour (from Book 1) was inevitable. Events led him to that point; he didn’t get there on his own.

Then Luisa… I had fun with her, because there’s so much about her character to dislike; she may be the least sympathetic to some readers!

But Luisa’s a good girl. That’s important to remember.

What’s more important to remember is that good girls do bad things.

And the bad girls; the bad boys… sometimes, they are the best of all.

“You’re one of the good ones, Darren Hart,” Nicole says to Darren, in Book 3.

And he is… oh gosh. I promise you, he is.

So like I was saying, I need to make everyone love Darren.

I’ve got my work cut out for me. Let me get back to it…