Clues to Creating a Fictional Character
Bess Bullock is based on two remarkable ladies that I had the great joy of knowing. Mae Bullock was a dear aunt of mine. She lived in a retirement home just two blocks from my house. I made it a habit of taking the dog, or my young children, or both to visit her. It was from my visits that I got to observe her charm and people skills in action with fellow residents. There wasn't anything a resident wouldn't do for my Aunt Mae, especially when she flashed that winning smile and used her way with words to disarm the coldest personalities. They were the kind of people skills I wanted to pass along to Bess's character.
The second person who inspired me was my wife's grandmother, Ruth Moore. It was Ruth's sharp mind that set her apart from other residents in her retirement home. Ruth would read a book a week. She took computer classes in her late eighties. She whipped through jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, whatever she could find. I was always fascinated at how sharp she was, even when she reached the ripe old age of one hundred. I thought of Ruth in creating Bess Bullock. Bess, like Ruth, has a keen mind for reason and deduction.
Two women who never met, have combined to give readers an entertaining character. Many readers have enjoyed the Bess Bullock Series. I'm quite certain that Grandma Ruth and Aunt Mae would have enjoyed her, too.
Allen B. Boyer
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The second person who inspired me was my wife's grandmother, Ruth Moore. It was Ruth's sharp mind that set her apart from other residents in her retirement home. Ruth would read a book a week. She took computer classes in her late eighties. She whipped through jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, whatever she could find. I was always fascinated at how sharp she was, even when she reached the ripe old age of one hundred. I thought of Ruth in creating Bess Bullock. Bess, like Ruth, has a keen mind for reason and deduction.
Two women who never met, have combined to give readers an entertaining character. Many readers have enjoyed the Bess Bullock Series. I'm quite certain that Grandma Ruth and Aunt Mae would have enjoyed her, too.
Allen B. Boyer
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