I’m going start this blog off by asking the writers out there a question:
Do you really feel like you know your characters? Inside and out?
I ask this question because the other day, I really “spent time” with my characters. I took some time away from writing to look back at my character sketches to review them. Whenever I write, I always make sure to keep my characters in mind. I remember who they are, what they’re like, how they act, etc. I ask myself: How would this character really react in this scene? What would they say? I always make sure it’s what they would say/do instead of what I would want them to do.
Regarding physical characteristics, I always describe them with as much detail as I think is necessary. Of course, I want people to use their imaginations, but I want them to really see these characters like they were in front of them. I want them to pop out of the pages. I have read books that don’t really describe their character’s physical traits at all. It’s like they are this bland person with no personality because the author tried too hard for every person to relate to them. Sure, I’d love to be able to relate to a character, but not at the expense of quality characterization. I tend to get bored if they are just “cardboard cut-outs”.
On the other hand, I always have to be careful to not overly describe them. In previous writings, I put in too much and that was a distraction from the story. I’ve learned how to balance it, and that takes practice.
I’m the one who knows my characters inside and out. It’s my job to make the readers see that without taking away too much from the story. Always remember this word: Balance.
I challenge you all to step back and really “spend time” with your characters today. Go back to the characters they were before you started writing and see how they are now. How have they changed? Have they taken on a life of their own?
When writing an intense scene, it’s easy to get caught up and forget about your characters for a while! But like you said- it is very important to keep them in your mind all the time and going back to basics, looking deep into their souls and remember who they are is essential for that.
I think it is important for characters to grow and develop. The original ideas are usually fairly rigid but with time these characters soften into something more recognisable and certainly something the reader can relate to better.
Getting to know your characters is a must.
I couldn’t agree more. My characters have sort of become kind of like friends of mine. Without them, there would be no story.
Thanks for the reminder! I know my protagonist really well, but my supporting characters often are not developed well enough…probably because I haven’t spent nearly as much time with them. I’ll work on that now!
You are right, Melissa. I’m writing a trilogy. The first book came out hollow. Good plot, setting, yadda, but when I wrote the sequel, I figured out why: It was the characters. In the sequel, I knew my people. I knew their passions, what motivated them, why they would do what they did. Something I didn’t know in the first book.
I have to say, I am much more comfortable with how the sequel is going and I credit that to knowing my characters. Good reminder for all of us.
There are times when I go over a scene where I focused too much on setting or whatever and not on the characters. It never felt right and it’s because I neglected my characters.
I’m writing at least a saga. The next one is going to focus primarily on a minor character that I have in the book that I’m working on now. I look forward to seeing how that character progresses.
Melissa,
First of all, thanks for letting me do a guest post. I added you to my blogroll today. One great thing about the blog is you run into others who share the same dreams. Follow yours, my friend. It took me ten years to get my novel published, and I don’t regret one step of the journey.
I gotta admit I wasn’t sure what to write about on your blog. Most of the folks I know are doctors, old banjo pickers, or golf gamblers, and none of that seemed appropriate for a young lady.
I hope you guys enjoyed it. I am one of the lucky ones. My wife and I have had a great run of it, and it was just luck. When we met we were just dumb kids and had no idea what we were getting into!
Yeah, I really came to love my characters in “The Mandolin Case.” I’d wake up early every morning and couldn’t wait to get to the computer and find out what they’d done overnight. They got to be like family.
Enjoy writing and try not to worry. You are young. If you keep at it, luck will come your way over time.
Dr. B
Dr. B, it was my pleasure to have you as a guest poster!
I think it’s great to find people you probably wouldn’t meet in “the real world”, but there they are. I’m so happy to finally discover a great group of writers who have the same passion as I do for writing.
People have really loved the story you shared as much as I did. It is a touching story. Thank you for sharing it on my blog.
I think that the one thing I want people to remember about me is that I’m persistent. When I have a goal, I’ll follow through.
To answer your question: I hear voices… does it mean that I’m crazy? Probaly, who cares?
I’m a writer. And no, I don’t know the characters inside out when I start writing, I just listen to them telling their story, I like to be surprised! 
Hop off to my blog, I just gave you an award…
Happy writing!
Barb
There are times when I find myself having a conversation with my characters. If something isn’t going right, I’ll argue with them. They always end up being right, so I need to learn to listen to them haha.
Thanks again for the award!
Great post and you’re right there needs to be a balance between revealing details about characters and leaving some details to the imagination of the reader.
My stories are character driven so I’m often amazed by how my characters evolve.
If I’m ever more influenced by what I’d do or say personally, that’s a day I choose not to write.
My stories are character driven as well and I really like that. There are times when I think I know my characters more than I know myself.
You give great advice every writer should pay attention to. The day that you’re feeling too influenced with your own life, you should probably take some time off from writing to clear your head. This book isn’t about me. It’s about my characters.