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Yesterday I found myself writing a scene and it took a turn I didn’t expect and I needed a new character that I hadn’t planned for to perform a certain task.
My general first rule for characters is to not overwhelm the reader with names to remember (my first completed manuscript not withstanding) and so, if I’m giving you a name, this is going to be someone you should know and remember.
I thought about it for a minute and realized the task this new character was needed for would be something they would regularly be needed for, so let’s put some meat on the bones of this initial introduction.
I found myself writing a character I had previously not even given one thought towards and by the end of the scene they have found themselves to be a potential love interest for my main character.
If you are a writer I’m interested in your experience; has this ever happened to you?
I found myself meeting my new character for the first time alongside my other characters.
Pretty much every other character has their own bio, sometimes it’s a couple paragraphs, sometimes it’s just a sentence, in my notes prior to them getting on the page. This is the first time I’ve created what will likely be a major character on the spot, while writing a scene.
Do you plot out and plan your characters?
Do you have a process?
Where do your characters come from?
I’m genuinely interested because, I have to say, yesterday’s experience gave me a few goosebumps.
My characters just come to me and let me know who they are. They inform me of their lives, likes, dislikes, loves, hate, etc. I’m the one they chose to tell their story to, the conduit through which everyone else hears their tale. Often times, the people they meet asking the way, I’m meeting for the first time as well. I find this allows me to write more authentic characters than if I sat down and created them like they were a Dungeons & Dragon character sheet. This is just my process.