Hi, everyone! Hoping the day is treating you all well!
Occasionally while working on a story, I've run into strange little phenomenon. A side character will start to develop an interesting personality, a funny little quirk, or will fall into a role in the plot that I hadn't originally planned on but fits so well that it turns into a happy accident. The depth of the story increases wonderfully because of these characters, and I find myself enjoying their presence more in the story, as well as their company inside my weird little mind!
I'm guessing I'm not the only one who experiences this. So tell us a little about these characters! How did they go from throwaways and placeholders to beloved players in your books?
I have a beta reader who said she "loved spending time with these people." I took that as a compliment and it made me understand why I loved writing them into life. They're often dancing around in my mind when I'm occupied with other things or trying to sleep.
Oh, yes, I completely fall in love with some of my characters.
In the sequel I'm currently working on, a character who I hadn't thought would have much of a roll has become so much more well-rounded and complicated. I love it when they surprise you!
And I fell in love with one of my main characters so much in another novel/series (which revisions keep getting pushed off on due to wanting to get my current series completed) that what was intended to be a stand alone novel will now be the first in at least a trilogy. I just couldn't imagine not spending time with Lazarus after the first novel!
Honey, I've wanted to marry a couple of my characters. Even had a dream that one of them & I were getting married. Woke up from the dream looking for his head beside mine on the pillow...being a writer, what a life!
That's a beautiful post. I think when stuff like that happens, you are experiencing true creativity. I have tales I have labored over for years just for this reason. I just love the characters so much. They make me laugh and cry, and it becomes something so much more personal. There are times when I get frustrated over having to go over a tale one more time, but I think about the company I get to spend with, and it truly does make it more enjoyable. I think that's the beauty and magic of creativity, remarkable to be a part of and experience as a writer. It's when the tale begins to tell itself that the magic happens.
I wish there were more posts that talked about this kind of thing. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely. One was-supposed-to-be a throwaway, one-time character in my series ended up becoming one of my favorites: a vampire with a personality that ended up like River Song (the kids and I were binging Doctor Who at the time-it was completely subconscious)
Yeah, that happens to me all the time. It's usually the hero in my stories though. I fall in love with them, but often cross the line and make them too endearing while leaving my heroine hanging out to dry. Oops! I constantly have to be aware of that, reminding myself that I want readers to love both of them equally, not one more than the other because I happen to be biased. Okay, I'll admit it. Hot athletes, musicians, bikers, dads who are rough around the edges but sweet to their kids just do it for me.
I would guess many writers create characters that are their ideal of what they would look for in a partner. Seems only logical then, that they would start to become attached.
Personally, if I become attached to a character, I do something terrible to them or kill them. Being too attached tends to mean I will start to go easy on them and that doesn't make for an interesting story.
Personally, if I become attached to a character, I do something terrible to them or kill them. Being too attached tends to mean I will start to go easy on them and that doesn't make for an interesting story.
I did kill a favourite character of mine off, because I would have preferred him over the MC's love interest. If he'd stuck around, he might have got the girl, and that wouldn't have made sense for the MC.
That's a beautiful post. I think when stuff like that happens, you are experiencing true creativity. I have tales I have labored over for years just for this reason. I just love the characters so much. They make me laugh and cry, and it becomes something so much more personal. There are times when I get frustrated over having to go over a tale one more time, but I think about the company I get to spend with, and it truly does make it more enjoyable. I think that's the beauty and magic of creativity, remarkable to be a part of and experience as a writer. It's when the tale begins to tell itself that the magic happens.
I wish there were more posts that talked about this kind of thing. Thanks for sharing.
Awww! Much love, Brandon! Thank you for that I probably will be asking more questions like that, because I love hearing fellow writers talk about their own worlds and experiences.
And I totally agree, getting to know these characters is one of the great privileges of being a writer. They are your beloved creations, tiny fragments of possibilities of yourself, but they also live, even if it's just through the words on a page.
Yeah, that happens to me all the time. It's usually the hero in my stories though. I fall in love with them, but often cross the line and make them too endearing while leaving my heroine hanging out to dry. Oops! I constantly have to be aware of that, reminding myself that I want readers to love both of them equally, not one more than the other because I happen to be biased. Okay, I'll admit it. Hot athletes, musicians, bikers, dads who are rough around the edges but sweet to their kids just do it for me.
Lol, I fall in love with all my characters and can't find enough time to fit them all into my pages. The girls I write are strong and endearing, they have stolen my heart but then the men are just as incredible...
I've filled my books with cool, quirky, gorgeous men. They're good company but I suspect I need to get out more, really. I'm not nearly as bad as Dorothy Sayers, though. (One of my current favorites.) She worshiped the ground her Lord Peter Wimsey walked on. Kind of embarrassing to read.
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