--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You've either got to find a way to make…" description: "\"You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters insteresting without making them maudlin or overwrought, or you've got to put more e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/jane-haddam-28119_character_you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make_1397847.jpg" --- # You've either got to find a way to make your continuing… ![“You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters insteresting without making them maudlin or overwrought, or you've got to put more emphasis on the suspects.” quote by Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/jane-haddam-28119_character_you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make_1397847.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/jane-haddam-28119_character_you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make_1397847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/jane-haddam-28119_character_you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make_1397847.jpg) > “You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters insteresting without making them maudlin or overwrought, or you've got to put more emphasis on the suspects.” [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing character depth without melodrama is key; focus on plot intrigue to maintain interest. **In simple terms:** Keep characters interesting without excess drama. Key Takeaway Prioritize plot tension over over‑embellished characters. Themes writing character development plot Mood analytical strategic Type craft instructional When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - storyboarding - editing Key Concepts narrative balance character arcs Questions to Reflect On - How can you deepen characters subtly? - What plot twists keep readers engaged? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on plot may flatten characters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ## Related quotes > [I suspect it was...the old story of the implacable necessity of a man having honour within his own natural spirit. 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The reason for this is simple. The real success of our personal lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/i-put-a-lot-of-emphasis-on-how-to-treat-people-the-reason-for-this-is/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [Emphasis was usually put on the horizontal acceleration factor, for the simple reason that ordinary structures have a built-in safety factor for the vertical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-francis-richter/emphasis-was-usually-put-on-the-horizontal-acceleration-factor-for/) [Charles Francis Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-francis-richter/) ## More by Jane Haddam > [People always seemed to know half of history, and to get it confused with the other half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/people-always-seemed-to-know-half-of-history-and-to-get-it-confused/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [I've been a teacher at the college level, in composition mostly, and I've been an editor on magazines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/i-ve-been-a-teacher-at-the-college-level-in-composition-mostly-and-i/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [I don't make my own schedule - it's constructed around my sons' school schedules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/i-don-t-make-my-own-schedule-it-s-constructed-around-my-sons-school/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [Listen to advice. You don't know how many writer's conferences I've taught at where at least half the audience fights all the conventions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/listen-to-advice-you-don-t-know-how-many-writer-s-conferences-i-ve/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [I really hate those books where the murderer turns out to be somebody you never heard of who pops up in the last chapter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/i-really-hate-those-books-where-the-murderer-turns-out-to-be-somebody/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [In my day, we didn't have self-esteem, we had self-respect, and no more of it than we had earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/in-my-day-we-didn-t-have-self-esteem-we-had-self-respect-and-no-more/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [I was the executive editor on a little magazine called Greek Accent, whose only claim to fame is that its art director went on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/i-was-the-executive-editor-on-a-little-magazine-called-greek-accent/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [If you don't burn the candle at both ends, what's the candle got two ends for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/if-you-don-t-burn-the-candle-at-both-ends-what-s-the-candle-got-two/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [Nobody in real life ever takes me seriously. The Internet makes it possible for people like me to live the way I do now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/nobody-in-real-life-ever-takes-me-seriously-the-internet-makes-it/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [I tend to come up with people more than situations - most of my books start with a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/i-tend-to-come-up-with-people-more-than-situations-most-of-my-books/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [Logic is a wonderful invention. It is so wonderful, people often mistake it for reason. Reason, however, requires sense. Logic requires only consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/logic-is-a-wonderful-invention-it-is-so-wonderful-people-often/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [If there is no way out, the best course of action is to find a way further in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/if-there-is-no-way-out-the-best-course-of-action-is-to-find-a-way/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [I'd like to write a history, maybe of the Reformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/i-d-like-to-write-a-history-maybe-of-the-reformation/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [Nobody in real life ever takes me seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/nobody-in-real-life-ever-takes-me-seriously/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) > [Everybody is a True Believer. Everybody has a little nugget they're convinced of that is the opposite of the nugget on the other side.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/everybody-is-a-true-believer-everybody-has-a-little-nugget-they-re/) [Jane Haddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) [Explore all 19 Jane Haddam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. 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But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters insteresting without making them maudlin or overwrought, or you've got to put more emphasis on the suspects.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Haddam" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make-your-continuing-characters/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make-your-continuing-characters/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/jane-haddam-28119_character_you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make_1397847.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/jane-haddam-28119_character_you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make_1397847.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/jane-haddam-28119_character_you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make_1397847.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters insteresting without making them maudlin…” — Jane Haddam", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jane Haddam", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-haddam/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You've either got to find a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make-your-continuing-characters/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-haddam/you-ve-either-got-to-find-a-way-to-make-your-continuing-characters/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```