Getting to know you....
My first venture into romance writing was through fan fiction. Readers of my work have sent me praise (I know, I know, friends don't know squat about publishing) and have given me the confidence to write for publication.
There are some big differences from writing fan fiction and creating something from scratch. One of those difference is the characters. In fan fiction, I as the writer know the characters very well. I don't have to think about what they would do or say as they have already been fully developed by their creators. The readers know the characters well too, so I don't have to elaborate too much about them, their motivations or goals.
But, creating my own characters involves developing every detail about them. At first, this seemed fairly easy. But as I began to write and move them around in a story, it become clear that having in depth knowledge of the characters is important. When I find myself stuck on what's happening in the story, its often because I don't know the characters well enough to know what to make them do or say. They are flat, with no depth. How boring.
I have filled out numerous character sheets to help me flesh out these people, but in the end, I just cover the surface. Even having the back story (which does help) isn't enough. What I need to is to get in their heads, and that is hard. I can't just sit and think, "What's in her head?"
The interesting thing (and thank goodness for it), is that eventually I have an epiphany. The stars line up or God takes pity and bang, the answer becomes amazing clear. (These come to me usually in the car or when I'm sleeping. See Downloading My Brain for more on this phenomenon). Even better, it fits with the rest of the story. I can't figure out if I'm talented (the roots where there the whole time) or just extremely lucky that everything comes together.
Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for these moments. I only wish they would happen when I needed them and not after days of anguish over a story that seems completely disjointed and fit only for the trash can.
Jenna
There are some big differences from writing fan fiction and creating something from scratch. One of those difference is the characters. In fan fiction, I as the writer know the characters very well. I don't have to think about what they would do or say as they have already been fully developed by their creators. The readers know the characters well too, so I don't have to elaborate too much about them, their motivations or goals.
But, creating my own characters involves developing every detail about them. At first, this seemed fairly easy. But as I began to write and move them around in a story, it become clear that having in depth knowledge of the characters is important. When I find myself stuck on what's happening in the story, its often because I don't know the characters well enough to know what to make them do or say. They are flat, with no depth. How boring.
I have filled out numerous character sheets to help me flesh out these people, but in the end, I just cover the surface. Even having the back story (which does help) isn't enough. What I need to is to get in their heads, and that is hard. I can't just sit and think, "What's in her head?"
The interesting thing (and thank goodness for it), is that eventually I have an epiphany. The stars line up or God takes pity and bang, the answer becomes amazing clear. (These come to me usually in the car or when I'm sleeping. See Downloading My Brain for more on this phenomenon). Even better, it fits with the rest of the story. I can't figure out if I'm talented (the roots where there the whole time) or just extremely lucky that everything comes together.
Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for these moments. I only wish they would happen when I needed them and not after days of anguish over a story that seems completely disjointed and fit only for the trash can.
Jenna
posted by Jenna Harte @ 9:29 PM
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