A Good Read and a Character Creating Writing Tip

By Gilda Arruda

Then Came Heaven, a touching family memoir, is a source of inspiration and guidance; it serves as a loving example of what it means to live no matter where the truth may lead you or how difficult it may be. It is also a lesson on the patience of change. Each page is the embodiment of hope, trust, knowledge, and self-acceptance to develop a sense of worth within ourselves.

Judy’s odyssey to find peace led her through many stages of not only seeing but sharing her vision of Divinity, adding color to our own vision of God. Her story allows us to pause and reflect on our thoughts to find a new perspective on the anger and pain that can reach the deepest part of our soul.

Through the lessons of Judy’s experiences we can ask for forgiveness and to be forgiven in order to find our own peace.

Question from the e-mail:  When I took your class, you gave out some info on how to plan a character, or "interview" a character, or something. No longer have it, but would like to see it again.

Answer:  Sure.

Who IS Your Character?

Plot should come out of character, evolving naturally from each character's beliefs and desires. To understand your characters' feelings, take a look at the events that shaped their lives. Look first at the character's emotional life, then at world events. 

Use the following interview sheet to get closer to your characters. Remember, good characters do things for good reasons and bad characters do things for bad reasons, but all characters should have a reason (motivation)to do what they do. 

Fill our a sheet for each major character. 

Skip around if you need to, but Questions with a (*) must be answered.



Name, date of birth and place of residence? (*)



What does he or she want? (*)



What stands in his or her way? (*)




How will the character change by the end of the story? (*)



What is the character’s reason for taking action? 


What are his or her strengths and weaknesses? (*)


What secrets does the character have?


What childhood or personal events shaped the character’s life?


What world events shaped the character?


Physical description: (*) (Hint: Sometimes it helps to pick an actor to play the role, so you will have a visual image of what he or she looks like).