I've often heard of authors having conversations with their
characters and sometimes even having arguments with them. I never knew what they meant until I started
writing my work in progress, Golden Perspective.
My writing style is a bit unique. I like to daydream about the story, imagining
conversations and situations before writing it down. Sometimes it feels like
I’m watching a movie and I’m just recording what I've seen and heard.
Not long after I finished writing Golden Change I started
writing my second book, Golden Perspective. Golden Perspective features Dylan,
who was Jacob’s best friend and secondary character in Golden Change and two
other characters who were briefly introduced in Golden Change, Tyler and Evie.
At first, things were going smoothly with Golden
Perspective. My daydreams were providing
excellent material. After a while
though, my daydreams didn't seem as productive.
I had an outline though, so I pushed through, thinking that this was a part
of my growth as an author.
One day while trying to daydream, I heard, in my mind,
someone clearing their throat. Then I
heard a very distinct voice saying to me, “I’m not the person you think I
am.” It was Evie and she was not happy.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” I told her.
“Do you think, because I was a slave I am weak?” she asked
me.
“No, of course not.
You are a strong woman, you put yourself through nursing school, you
were a college athlete, you hid girls and sacrificed yourself when you knew
that you would be captured,” I reassured her.
She had her arms crossed against her chest, her fingers of
one hand rhythmically tapping on her forearm.
Her stance was resolute, her face a mask.
She was right. I had
let one small part of her past, the part that she had no control over become a
large part of her personality.
“My apologies,” I said very sincerely to her.
So I let my mind dream about Evie, who she was as a person, what made her tick, what her dreams were, what her true fears were, what she desired.
“My apologies,” I said very sincerely to her.
So I let my mind dream about Evie, who she was as a person, what made her tick, what her dreams were, what her true fears were, what she desired.
I had been writing a character, not a person. I went back through the document, making
changes whenever I felt her tapping on my shoulder. I let her tell me who she was, and I wrote
her story.
