Dear Kids and all Readers,
Years ago, I started collecting cookie cutters.
I now have cans and bags of them for every season as well as some evoking the seashore, the farm, fruits and vegetables, and miscellaneous activities and objects.
Long before I had grandchildren, I envisioned making cut-out cookies with them someday to create fun, delicious, and memorable events; hence, the collection. Now that I have grandkids, I usually pack a fraction of my collection in my suitcase when I travel east just in case anyone is in the mood to bake. It never takes any persuasion!
Last month was no exception. For my grandson’s fourth birthday, I gifted him with three cookie cutters that I knew he would love: a train, a truck, and a sports car. He proudly “drove” them around the top to the coffee table! The next day, the sugar cookie dough was made and chilled. Then, he, my nine-year-old granddaughter, and I created some sweet magic. The little guy had fun learning how to position the cutters just right to optimize the dough between roll outs. Then, with his big sister’s help, he pressed down on each cutter and removed the excess dough to form the perfect cookie vehicle.
After a brief trip to the basement to take shelter during a tornado warning (!), we returned to the kitchen to sprinkle their creations with multicolored sugar, bake the treats, and devour them.
As a writer, I look for inspiration everywhere. It was natural, then, for me to think about the pros and cons of cookie cutters. They are excellent tools for crafting fun, delicious treats that can leave fond memories in the hearts of the bakers. But foisting cookie-cutter characters upon my readers is unacceptable! Why? Because readers should expect and writers should deliver characters that are deliciously three dimensional. Flat, predictable, cookie-cutter characters are boring and hard to relate to.
Readers, here is what to look for in well-formed book characters. And Teachers and Writers, here is how to bring your characters to life to support sizzling fiction. Ask yourselves my Baker’s Dozen Character Questions:
- What do the characters look like? What do they wear? Are they individuals or conformists? Is there adequate description so you can visualize them in a setting?
- What do their facial expressions and body language say about their joys and inner turmoil?
- How would you describe their personalities? Are more layers added as the book/series progresses?
- What do they say and think? Do their thoughts, words, or conversations sparkle, reveal deeper personality traits, and square with their motives and actions?
- What makes them tick? Do they have unique mannerisms, habits, hobbies, quirks, and/or witticisms that make them interesting–for better or for worse–while avoiding stereotypes?
- What are their strengths and weaknesses? Do they sometimes blur the lines between good and evil? These make them humble, sometimes stumble, maybe questionable or admirable, relatable human beings.
- What are their flaws, needs, and wants? These can further their relatability and help explain their motives, expectations, and actions.
- How do they treat others? This can give insights into their values, morals, and humanity.
- Do they make us feel what they are feeling so we can take deep dives into their motives and actions and our own?
- What are their backstories? These add context, interest, relatability, and understanding.
- Do they grow and evolve over the course of the story or series? This plumps dimensionality.
- Do they have strong, meaningful relationships with friends, enemies, family, pets, newcomers, and/or the community? These help us see into their hearts and souls.
- Do they serve a purpose in the story? Do they have an important role in furthering the plot? If not, jettison the clutter like so many burnt cookie crumbs!
I hope you find my characters in the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries fully fleshed out and memorable, not flat! I try to make them 3-D and distinct in every book.
If you would like to add any ideas to the above Baker’s Dozen Character Questions, please email me at kidsauthor@sherrilljoseph.com. Please put “Cut It Out” in the subject line.
If you would like to learn more about how to avoid cookie-cutter characters as a reader, teacher, or writer at any skills level, check out K.M. Weiland’s book, Creating Character Arcs.
So, get a clue. Cookie cutters have their place, especially in the kitchen. They help us create delicious treats. But never expect them or use them to populate a book!
(Photo and ad credits: By the author. Here is a fraction of my cookie cutter collection. I do not share my grandchildren’s faces on social media, but in an image in the first ad, you can see a bit of the two making cut-out cookies last month using my grandson’s vehicle cutters and lots of colored sugar!)
