"Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose the fairest of them all?"

"Not you," whispers the voice in my head as I stared at my reflection.

No lies this morning... freckles still sprawl across wrinkles at the corners of my mouth, eye, and forehead. Black circles form halfmoons under watery eyes. Chapped lips crack at the corners. Thank goodness for makeup!

Like ourselves, each character we create has flaws, too. How much makeup we decide to use to cover these imperfections is up to us, the writer. The more we use, the less our readers will see of the true heroine or hero. The trick is to use just the right amount of base powder or liquid so our characters will seem real. Add mascara sparingly to highlight their eyes, the window to their soul. Use only enough lipstick to color them with qualities we will fall in love with. Give them a consciense by adding a touch of blush.

Put on your professional makeup artist hat today and have fun creating your characters! Happy writing!

Peggy A. Borel
www.peggyborel.com