Vehicles are Characters, Too

I took last week off to attend my annual family reunion. All who attended had a great time. Also, at the end of May, I submitted my manuscript to a publisher in Austin, Texas. Their website says to give them eight to ten weeks to review each submitted manuscript. At the latest, it’ll be mid-August before I hear something from them. I’ll keep you posted on how things are going with them. I hope you continue this journey with me as I strive to become a published author.

Automobiles can make or break a story. From the General Lee to Esmerelda, cars play an important part of your story, even if your character is just driving off into the sunset in one. What type of car your character is driving, or riding in, tells your reader a lot.

I use many cars in my story. They range from a Ford Model A, to a Plymouth coupe, to a GMC truck, to an Oldsmobile sedan to a Buick Roadmaster to a Greyhound bus, to a Louisiana State Police patrol car. Each of those vehicles says something about the character who drives, or rides, in it. If I were to change the vehicle, it would change the character. Ensure the vehicles fit the character. Would Back to the Future be as entertaining if they used a VW Bug instead of the DeLorean Coupe?

I used Google Images for photos of the above vehicles. I didn’t need to know the details about each vehicle, only the unusual, visual traits. Granted I did find several refurbished and highly detailed GMC trucks, but the image I went with fits my story. It didn’t take long to find, and I went back to writing. It’s a good idea to save the photo you find so that you can reference it when needed. Little things like this are great aides in your writing.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what I’m reading. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished Breaking Wild earlier this week. The ending is very emotional. I started Oh, for the Love of  God by John K. Anthony, a Catholic priest. The book contains his sermons, and they are entertaining.

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