Episode 83: On Writing Characters with Women’s Fiction Author Elizabeth Sumner Wafler
Welcome to a fun chat about writing, developing characters, and finding inspiration with women’s fiction author Elizabeth Sumner Wafler. Like many of us, Elizabeth came to writing as a second career and has mined her own life for inspiration for both her plots and her characters. While our intent in this conversation was to focus on characters and character development, like many conversations with authors, we ended up touching on so many other areas of writing, like dialogue, critique partners, plotting and outlining.
In this episode, we discussed:
- Writing to market vs. writing what you feel inspired to write
- Freewriting to really get to know your characters
- Tips on how to make character’s voices distinct in dialogue
- Differentiating characters based on the impact they have on other characters in a story
Elizabeth’s Books and Books we discussed in the episode
- Georgie Girl by Elizabeth Sumner Wafler
- In Robin’s Nest by Elizabeth Sumner Wafler
- Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
- Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum
Meet Elizabeth Sumner Wafler
Elizabeth is a writer and the author of four novels. She is an active volunteer with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and loves working with developing writers through her side hustle Four Eyes Editorial. Elizabeth, her husband and cairn terrier Mirabelle recently moved from Charlottesville Virginia to the booming southern hotspot–and the place of her birth–Greenville, South Carolina, which Conde Nast ranked the sixth best small city in America. She never misses a farmer’s market or chance to explore art, music, and foodie destinations, or hiking opportunities in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the upstate.
Connect with Elizabeth Sumner Wafler
- Elizabeth on Instagram
- Elizabeth on Twitter
- Elizabeth’s Website
- Elizabeth’s Podcast, The Evocative Author – search for it on your favorite platform
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