Every Sunday, the feature SHANNON MUIR’S MYSTERY OF CHARACTER on SHANNON MUIR’S THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF focuses on the art and craft of writing from Shannon’s perspective, or gives you insight on her process as an author. This week’s topic focuses on time and character.
Is a character affected by the period in history in which she or he lives? Most definitely.

The social norms of the time may affect what a character is allowed to do in order to advance a plot. Or, perhaps, the whole point of the character is that he or she bucks the social trends of the time.

Time also doesn’t have to be history. You can also think of it as term of age or life experience. How many years a character has been alive through history will influence perspective. Also, people alive a similar amount of years can have extremely different experiences that affect their lives.

Something to consider.