I’ve been busy working on my Nano masterpiece and I have had some rather interesting experiences thus far. It seems that my characters are busy talking to each other in my head. But they aren’t only talking with each other, they are also talking to me. I must admit that it is kind of fun to chat with them. I am sure that my family thinks I have finally gone off the deep end and am loony. But for a writer, this is just part of the writing process, at least for some of us.
When I began plotting out my novel, I had all sorts of ideas and directions that I planned on taking my characters. After all, I was in charge and they had to do what I said, right? It has been funny to listen to them as they are not content with doing as I say. They have real feelings and thoughts. They have opinions and sometimes, those opinions are rather strong.
Take my main character or protagonist, if you will. I had orginally after much thought given her the name of Noel Robinson. She didn’t like it. She pestered me and insisted that her name was not Noel. It was Nicole, and she liked her friends to call her Nikki. She chattered nonstop until I relented and made the change.
This morning I channeled one of my main supporting characters, Edna. She is a very strong character and I have had fun making Edna comments off and on all day long. I am sure that I will enjoy this for a long time to come. She is just one of those characters and I think she is quickly becoming a favorite. Shhh…don’t tell…
So what am I learning through this process? I have learned to listen to my characters and guide them through this story writing process. I am still in charge, but they can help and aid me along the way. It makes it more fun when I consider their feelings. They still have to do what I say, but they can sure come up with some twists and turns that I hadn’t thought of before. It makes for interesting characterization, and I am ending up with some well-developed characters. Listening to your characters can be a good thing, even if you may seem a little on the strange side to friends and family. In the end, who will really care when your masterpiece is written?
Posted under Fiction Writing
This post was written by Brenda Emmett on November 4, 2008
