THE DEVELOPMENT OF JEN CONNOR

It's been so many years since I put the first chapters on paper, I don't even remember the last name I used, but the first name was Shawn...and that was my first mistake. The story opens in the late 1950's, and the name Shawn would not have been a typical name, particularly for a family of limited means.

Yet, Shawn was a name I liked and until someone pointed out how unlikely it was that she would be named that, I didn't even realize I'd made a mistake. At first I was defensive, as many writers are about their babies. The fact that I'd written published magazine articles didn't count, because in those cases I dealt with fact. This was fiction, and my protagonist could have any name I chose to give her. I liked Shawn, and hung on to it with a vengeance until I realized I had to let go and pick one that was more appropriate.

So the quest for a name began. Through the years she has had many: Katherine, Marie, Susan, Sandra, and more. It would change every few years along with the title and names of many of the other characters. Finally, last year I hit upon Jeanette, Jen or Jenny for short, and it stuck. The name was right.

One of the other problems with the original Shawn, Marie, Katherine, or...pick whichever one you want...was that her voice was not right for a girl of sixteen. And it stayed the same throughout the book even though the story spanned many years...years that saw her mature from a scared, abused teen to a confident young mother. Again, I didn't even realize that I'd given her the wrong voice, until I joined a writers group. One of the early questions during a reading for critique was: "How old is she supposed to be?" When I said, "Sixteen," the whole group agreed that she didn't sound anything like a sixteen year old.

This is where you have to put yourself in your character's head and take on their characteristics. Depending upon the story, once you are your character, it can become a very emotional experience in a book that is filled with triumphs and tragedies.

More about Jen tomorrow.

ARLISS ADAMS