Money, money, money

I've got an old pile of bills to file today, and it's got me thinking about how characters handle money.  Money is an emotive subject for almost everyone, and a major driver of a lot of people's lives.

It's the same with characters.  We have the greedy ones, the ones who don't care about money, the crooks who'll kill for it, and those who give it all away.

In the Panthera books, Ren doesn't really care about money, Bryn has amassed himself a modest fortune simply by not spending his generous salary, and Felis Pandalis uses her rock star billions to fund a charity that saves wildlife.

Working out a character's reasons for getting money can give you a powerful backstory.  If someone has stolen money from your character they might be motivated to get it back - and to destroy the thief.  They might want to raise money for a charitable cause close to their heart, or they might want money to spend on glossy houses and cars to shore up their low self-esteem.

It's worth working out your character's attitude to money as part of their bio.  It's one of the most powerful motivators of their actions and will help to give your fictional character the feel of reality.


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