So... characters.
Honestly, characters are where most of my work starts. And also why so much of it may never see publication. Writing to character is a near impossible way to write novels. But characters (and people) and how they act and react, why they sometimes act 'out of character', their pasts, presents, and futures, their families and experiences... that's what absolutely fascinates me and keeps me writing. Most of the main characters who feature in my published work come from one of two sources: Either I borrowed a general concept from elsewhere and made it my own. As of right now, I doubt few who didn't know me as a teen could pinpoint the origins of a number of my oldest characters. Or a name came to me and the character developed from there. Kedri of Kedri Dancer came from a typo in another piece I was working on prior to writing her story. Secondary and lesser characters, at least in my work, develop as necessary from interactions with my main characters. Some of these have gone to take on more important roles of their own and others fade out of things. That said, what I find works best is to allow my characters to tell their stories through me, rather than force them into events. Which is why I say I write to keep the characters in my head from driving me crazy. They want their stories told. And they come out the way they come out. (Sometimes literally) I will do more specific posts on aspects of character development in the future. If there is something specific you would like to know about my characters or character development process, leave a comment and I will try to address it in a future post.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAlexandra A. 'Lexa' Cheshire is the author of numerous novels and short stories published through Howling Wolf Books. Lexa is a wife, mother, cat owner, and music lover. Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|