I admit it, I’m addicted to Dr. Phil. I’ve watched talk shows since Phil Donahue was on the air, so it’s not like it’s just the tough-talkin’ Texan who has me hooked. They’re characters. Real, honest-to-goodness, couldn’t-write-this-stuff-and-get-it-past-an-editor characters. Some of these people are certifiable, some of them are simply troubled, some of them are just looking for their fifteen minutes

But one thing that Dr. Phil does is zero in on his guests, and within a few minutes, hit their core issues. That deep emotional conflict that drives that mother to hover over her child’s every move—even though her child is eighteen and about to go to college. That trauma in a grown man’s past that now makes him unable to commit. The dark secret a grandmother is hiding that keeps her from being a part of her grandchildren’s lives.

I’ll be watching the show, seeing Dr. Phil grill a guest, and wham I have the idea I’ve been searching for. Or I suddenly know why my character has that control issue. Or I have another idea, one to file away for later (and there are a ton of those in my little mental files). I’ll see one guest tell their story about being abandoned as a child, and that will get my mental gears thinking about how abandonment might affect the child I have in my current book. Or what the abandoning mother’s perspective might be.

What I see in Dr. Phil’s hot seat are amazing novel possibilities. Marriages in crisis, relationships on the rocks, daughters trying to connect with their mothers, sons on the outs with their fathers, friends who have been betrayed. There are people down on their luck, others who have hit the lottery. You name a character type, and chances are, they’re going to be on the Dr. Phil show before the season finale

So if you’re looking for characters, try turning on the television at 3:00 p.m. EST. Chances are, you’ll find what you’re looking for –sitting on Dr. Phil’s right

Do you watch Dr. Phil or another show like that? Do you get character ideas from there? Or just like to sit back and be entertained?

I’ll choose a winner from one of the comments to receive a copy of REALLY SOMETHING, where you’ll meet a few characters in Tempest, Indiana!

Shirley