Part of the job of being a writer is to get inside each
character’s skin and show their desires, motivations and emotions and then
flesh those out to make the character seem human and real.
If a writer does this right, a reader can connect with that
character so strongly that the reader will ‘remember’ that character for the
rest of their life. I certainly remember losing my heart to Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, and I read that novel
when I was fourteen, which is more years ago than I care to remember.
It takes genuine talent to connect a reader to a villain,
which is why I annually re-read The
Silence of the Lambs. I’m still trying to puzzle out how Thom Harris did
what he does when he makes me empathize with and root for the monster Hannibal
Lecter.
What I’ve discovered during our enforced isolation is that
I’m suddenly diving deeper into my character development, and I like what I see
turning up.
It’s not that I’m spending more time writing. I’ve still got
my daily word count and my routine, but I think that because I live alone and
I’m now working from home that I’ve lost the day-to-day workplace coffee
station distractions. I’m still doing my job, but I’m not hearing about the
daily goings on of my fellow worker bees, and as such I don’t need to filter all
of that out of my brain before I sit down to compose.
I’m not saying this is a bad thing. I’m a social animal and
I like my fellow business associates, but in the past six weeks my characters
have developed more depth. My good guys aren’t all brightness and light, and
the bad ones are suddenly displaying redemptive qualities like taking care of
their momma.
I’m not sure where this new depth and direction is going to
take me, but it’s fun. What have you learned about yourself, your characters,
and your writing during captivity?
All good guys have some bad in them and all bad guys have some good in them. It's my mantra when I'm creating new characters.
ReplyDeleteI've learned that social isolation produces words, lots of words, and an usual amount of hand washing (really? the MC dumped her groceries on the floor and washed her hands?)
ReplyDeleteI also have strange dreams, one of which produced a crucial series arc plot point.
Agreed! And every bad guy thinks they're justified in doing the bad thing. I've also had plot points resolve while I sleep. I think that's my subconscious still working while I'm not watching. Love when it happens!
ReplyDeleteNice to hear the productive things that are happening during this frustrating time. Silver linings and all that.
ReplyDeleteI am learning about Youtube channels by putting up some on songs.
ReplyDeleteMany writers I know have escaped into their fictional worlds during difficult times. I know I have; it's my refuge. I do wonder though if stressing my characters right now isn't indirectly adding more stress to me and my real world life? Time to ponder ...
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're finding this crazy time productive! I'm discovering that my hubby is very distracting, especially when he's trying not to be :)
ReplyDeleteI'm more demanding in my reading. I've started and stopped reading more books during this time than any other. Perhaps because I have few distractions, I have a need to be captivated, caught up in a book. When that doesn't happen, I put it down. Frustration? I'm not sure, but likely the cure is what you are writing, Martha.
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