Priscilla Oliveras teaches how to Craft Believable Characters at the March 27, 2021, meeting of DARA.
Many Keeper Shelf books land there in large part because the readers fell in love with the characters and want to revisit them. To create believable, three-dimensional characters and bring them to life on the page, you have to know them as well as you know your best friends.
This presentation explains several character-creating techniques, starting with character sketches, interviews, diary-ing/journaling, and “who, what, why,” ending with a detailed explanation of the all-important GMC, popularized in Debra Dixon’s how-to text Goal, Motivation and Conflict. GMC charts from the rom-coms “You’ve Got Mail” and “Pride and Prejudice” along with tips for using the GMC sentence to help with pitching round out the discussion, all with the end goal of providing attendees with a few new or improved additions to their writer’s toolbox.
Priscilla Oliveras is a USA Today bestselling author and 2018 RWA® RITA® double finalist who writes contemporary romance with a Latinx flavor. Proud of her Puerto Rican-Mexican heritage, she strives to bring authenticity to her novels by sharing her Latinx culture with readers. She and her work have earned praise from O, The Oprah Magazine, Washington Post, New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist, among others. Since earning her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, Priscilla now serves as adjunct faculty in the program and teaches the online class “Romance Writing” for ed2go. While she’s a devotee of the romance genre, Priscilla’s also a sports fan, beach lover, and Zumba aficionado, who often practices the art of napping in her backyard hammock.
To follow along on her fun-filled and hectic life, visit her on the web at https://prisoliveras.com/books/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prisoliveras, or on Twitter and Instagram via @prisoliveras.
Editor and sensitivity reader Crystal Shelley discusses how to choose words with intention at the February 27, 2021, meeting of DARA.
Words have the power to do good: to uplift, to inspire, and to validate. Words also have the power to do harm: to hurt, to marginalize, and to erase. At DARA's February meeting, Crystal will discuss the concept of conscious language and how writers can use their words with intention. She'll also talk about considerations when writing about identities outside of our own and the role sensitivity reading can play in the writing process.
Everyone is welcome to join us for the Feb 27, 2021, meeting of the Dallas Area Romance Authors. Due to the pandemic, we will meet via Zoom. A brief business meeting at 9:30 a.m. will be followed by Crystal's presentation at 10 a.m. CST. To get an invite to the Zoom meeting, please contact us at dallasarearwa@gmail.com.
Crystal Shelley, Rabbit with a Red Pen
Crystal Shelley is a freelance copy editor, proofreader, and sensitivity reader who works with fiction authors, and she is also a licensed clinical social worker. She unites her love of language and social justice by providing editorial services with a focus on conscious language and representation.