Look to the Stars for Celestial-Inspired Characterization

I wish I may; I wish I might. 

Stargaze to find your hero and heroine’s true romantic delight!

I hope by the time you finish reading this article; you are excited to use celestial-inspired characterization with the help of the astrological sun signs, the wisdom of the universe, and a barrel full of doggone, genuine fun to build your romantic hero and heroine.

How to Use Celestial-Inspired Characterization

Let’s say you are ready to write your first or umpteenth romance novel and are jotting down a few initial notes. Maybe you are handwriting favorite names for the main characters, toying with plot thoughts, or doodling ideas for a surprise twist, all in the initial stages of pre-writing.

You stop for a minute and envision your heroine. Her face is sketchy but as you write about her, the once blurry edges evolve into real shapes: an oval face, heart-shaped lips, perhaps long, blonde hair, or a black, short, spikey pixie cut. 

Her personality is revealed bit by bit, especially through inner dialogue, and from a cardboard character, she evolves into a heroine who becomes so stinking real you swear she lives and breathes. Don’t try to tell me my heroine, Lacey, of Lacey’s Lessons of Love, isn’t real. Them’s fightin’ words. Seriously.

Just like your heroine, when you create your hero, you have a sketchy idea of the man who will take up real estate on the next 300 or so pages of your book. Who is this guy? What makes him tick? 

The sun signs have been researched to smithereens and include 12 unique female and male traits from A-Z, including such information as general likes and dislikes, favorite hangouts, hobbies, employment, demeanor, heck, even favorite color, and number.

When you research, it will reward you with more characteristics per sun sign than you will use in a lifetime of writing. I used 12 Zodiac Signs: Dates and Personality Traits of Each Star Sign as research for this article.The amount of information regarding characterization is endless and has passed the test of time over and again. Plus, you can mix and mingle, stir, shake it up, and do the Hokey-Pokey by inserting different sun signs into the equation until you get the perfect hero and heroine for your story.. 

Secondary characters? This method works for any book character from an angelic next-door neighbor to a vile villain.

When you want a living, breathing, speaking, animated character, why not read through the astrological sun signs and see which personality type most fits the characters you want to portray in your novel?

The 12 Astrological Sun Signs

Let’s say you choose to see how a Pisces woman and a Leo man would do as a “couple” in your romance novel.

The Pisces Heroine

The Pisces woman feels that the men in her circle, all of them, can take on anything life throws his way. He can and will defeat anyone who is her adversary with one hand tied behind his back while devouring a burrito and ensuring the integrity of a white dress shirt. She soothes him after a stressful day with her cozy, calm demeanor and she dons fluffy mittens for the chilly football game, floral spring dresses on their picnic, and a bikini for their dual dive into the lake.

Here is a small sample of what I found out about our Pisces female. A few likes and perhaps a chance place to meet. Love could be in the stars.

Pisces This ‘n That:

• Art Galleries
• Broadway Play
• Cocktail Party
• Creative
• Dreamer
• Intuitive
• Laughter
• Live Music

The Leo Hero

The Leo man loves an audience. He loves to be adored, flattered, and, most of all, he loves to tell you what to wear, how to part your hair, which friends he approves of … probs not the best companion if your heroine is the quiet, shy type looking for calm waters. 

BUT. Perhaps the #1 pick for the romance genre where conflict drives a page-turning-can’t-putter-downer.

Leo This ‘n That:

• Courageous
• Generous
• Extroverted
• Forgiving
• Lover of Flattery
• Prideful
• Straight, proud stance
• Superb organizer

We have zillions of potential hero & heroine matchups plus any other character you wish to create using the Astrological Sun Signs. What sun sign matchups are you thinking may work for your present or future novel? Let the creativity begin.

Writers Write!!!

Tammy Lough creates ​​cozy women’s fiction sprinkled with humor, romance, and moxie aplenty. Her romantic comedy, Lacey’s Lessons of Love, is a 2022 national and international best-seller & the first book of the For the Love of Lacey series. Available Summer 2023: Lacey’s Circle of Love & Winter 2023: Lacey’s Legacy of Love.She is an active member of the Missouri Romance Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Southwest Writers, Saturday Writers, and Women Writing the West.

You can connect with Tammy on her website, or on Twitter and Facebook.