Today on the blog tour I am featured on Nancy Klein’s blog American Writer in Spain, where I talk about choosing names for characters. Nancy blogs about life lessons and life in general. She has also recently launched a great book for Young Adults, Torn Between Worlds: an illegal immigrant’s journey to find herself.
Darlene Foster’s latest book in her Amanda series for young readers
How do you choose names for your characters and do you think names are important?
I believe names are important. When I was expecting my daughter, I asked my son what we should name the new baby. He said, “Don´t we have to see what the baby looks like first?”
Like naming a baby, it is important to put some thought into picking a name for a character as he or she has to live with it for a long time. I don’t care for names that are difficult to pronounce or spell. I used Amanda as the name of my main character as that was the name of my granddaughter who was twelve at the time I began writing the first book. It was only going to be a working name but it suited the character so I…
To win readers over we need to write characters so authentic they feel like real people. How do we do this? By brainstorming a character’s backstory, personality, needs, desires, and their day-to-day world. Lucky for us, one aspect of their daily life is a goldmine of characterization: the type of work they do.
Think about it: a job can reveal personality, skills, beliefs, fears, desires, and more, which is why Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi created The Occupation Thesaurus, a writing guide that profiles 124 possible careers and the story-worthy information that goes with each. To help with this project, I’m sharing my experience as an Employment/Career Counsellor below, in case this career is a perfect fit for your character!
An Employment/Career Counsellor provides coaching to individuals searching for suitable and sustainable employment by assessing what jobs would be the right fit based on aptitudes, interests, education and capability. The job involves helping clients overcome barriers to employment, assist in creating effective resumes and cover letters, practise interview skills and develop a targeted job search.
The position often includes designing and facilitating job search and life skills workshops, as well as conducting assessments. Clients include people from all walks of life, abilities and cultural backgrounds. An Employment/Career Counsellor might work for a government funded agency, in an educational institution or be self-employed.
NECESSARY TRAINING
Although there are no strict education requirements for becoming a career counsellor, many employers prefer you hold a Bachelor´s Degree.
An Employment Counsellor Certificate is a definite asset as is a Job Club Facilitator Certificate.
I have a CERTESL (Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language) from the University of Saskatchewan which was very helpful as I worked with job searching immigrants from many different countries.
CREATIVITY, DETAIL-ORIENTED, EMPATHY, EQUANIMITY, EXCEPTIONAL MEMORY, GAINING THE TRUST OF OTHERS, GOOD LISTENING SKILLS, INTUITION, LEADERSHIP, MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH, MULTITASKING, NETWORKING, ORGANIZATION, OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKING, PUBLIC SPEAKING, READING PEOPLE, RESEARCH, RESPECTFUL, SENSITIVITY, STRATEGIC THINKING, STRONG COMMUNICATION SKILLS, TEACHING, TIME MANAGEMENT, WRITING
SOURCES OF FRICTION
Some unemployed people can be unstable and blame the counsellor for them not getting a job
Participants in workshops may come from cultures that clash and cause friction in the classroom
Clients may share unsettling information with their counsellor like suicidal thoughts or illegal activities
Some people don’t like being told their resume isn’t good or that they should dress better for an interview
Government funding can stop, causing the counsellor to have to look for work themselves
A client may become infatuated with his/her counsellor and stalk them
Career councillors can get too caught up in the client’s problems
A client may suffer from mental illness or have a history of violence
WRITERS SHOULD KNOW…
Employment/Career Counsellors risk becoming too close to their clients and have difficulty keeping their work and personal life separate.
It is a challenging career but also very rewarding, especially when an individual finds a great job due to the coaching, which turns their life around.
Due to the many ups and downs, people in this field can suffer from stress and stress-related illnesses.
Have any questions about this job? I’d be happy to answer. Just leave a comment below!
Welcome to the Sunday Interview series, exclusive to the authors in the Cafe and Bookstore.. details of how you can participate and join the other authors in the cafe can be found at the end of the interview.
My guest this week is regular guest to the blog, author Darlene Foster who has recently released another book in her successful Amanda Travel Series.Later in the post she shares an excerpt from Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action
Welcome back Darlene and congratulations on the latest book.. and to start perhaps you could tell us where you drew the inspiration for the character of Amanda?
I draw inspiration for my characters from the young people in my life and somewhat from the child inside me. Amanda simply evolved as I wrote and in some ways is the twelve-year-old I would have liked to be. I created her almost twenty years…
A nice surprise to see this blog from the past. CWILL BC is an amazing group to belong to and this was such a great event. I have been a member for the past nine years. Thanks, Sally for bringing it out of the archives.
RT @HowellWave: James and Sam try to rescue the soul being challenged by Lucifer. He fights back and sends the pair to hell on Earth, World… 3 days ago
Welcome back Darlene and congratulations on the latest book.. and to start perhaps you could tell us where you drew the inspiration for the character of Amanda?
Darlene Foster's Blog 