Meghan March | On Writing: Keeping Characters Real

Every time I get a review that says "the characters are so real and relatable" I do a little mental fist-pump. Mission. Accomplished. As an author, it's incredibly important to me that my readers make that connection with the characters and get sucked into the story on more than a surface level. Because once I've hooked them, I can make them feel. That's why I do what I do. I'm not only an author; I'm a reader first, and I read because I want to feel and I want to sink so deeply into the world someone has created, I forget that I have to load the dishwasher, fold the laundry, pay the bills, feed myself, etc. I want to escape.

The way I write and craft my stories, I consider the first step on that path to escape the character connection, and how do you connect with a character if you can't relate to them? I've been asked in interviews (today actually), whether I pull events and inspiration from real life. The answer is absolutely, especially when it comes to crafting characters. I'm a little more like a chef, a dash of this person, a hint of another, a pinch of a third, but most of my character inspiration comes from real people--either people I know, or people I observe.

When I write, I try to bury myself in my character's mind so I understand everything about him or her, and most especially how he or she views the outside world and interacts with it. How would my heroine really react to finding a picture of the guy she's digging in the paper with another woman? How would my hero really react to seeing his girlfriend being kissed on a sidewalk by another man? I tend not to be a writer of over-the-top drama, because I want what's real, not what's overblown and expected. The biggest upside to going deep into my characters' backgrounds is the ability to sit back and watch them dictate the story. I don't control my characters' actions; they do that all by themselves. In writing my new release, Beneath These Scars, I was dealing with two very stubborn characters. If I thought they should do something, odds are they would do something completely different. It was a wild, sexy, and crazy fun journey, and I hope you'll take a ride with me!

About Meghan March

Meghan March is the author of contemporary and erotic romance novels.

Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She’s also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut. Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she’s ever had. She loves hearing from her readers at [email protected].

Meghan is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

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About BENEATH THESE SCARS

From USA Today bestselling author Meghan March comes a sexy new standalone in the Beneath series. Are you ready to fall in love with the villain?

I’m the guy you love to hate.

In every story in my life, I seem to end up playing the villain—and I’ve got the scars to prove it.

That role works fine for me, because I’m sure as hell not anyone’s hero. I run my life and my empire with an iron fist—until she knocks my tightly controlled world off its axis.

She’s nobody’s damsel in distress, but I can’t help but want to save her anyway.

I guess we’re about to find out if there’s a hero buried beneath these scars.