Talking to Your Characters

I don’t know about you, but I always make it a habit to talk to my characters prior to embarking on our story journey. Most of us never travel with people we don’t know – or don’t like for that matter – so I always find it helpful to take the time to get to know my characters before writing my book.

I do this several ways: first, I name them. Sometimes the names change – especially last names. But the first name usually has meaning for me so I focus on that and then if I have to change the last name before the book is complete, I do that.

Next, I interview them. Interviewing is such a good habit to get into because I always find out something about the character I didn’t know or even think about before. I have been using a list of questions I got from KM Weiland’s Helping Writers Become Authors website. If you sign up for her newsletter you can get a free copy (see my links section). Her list goes way beyond physical descriptions or favorite colors; it actually delves into habits, mannerisms, personality traits, occupation and all kinds of things you would know about a friend. She even asks things you might not know about your friends, such as where they were born, all the places they’ve lived, and who they admire. I have had such fun discovering these things about the characters in my upcoming WIP I plan to write for NanoWriMo in November.

Once I get all the answers written down, I try to spend time with the answers. I visualize each character being who they are on paper. That way, when I start to write, I am better able to determine what a character would say or do based on the info I gathered. It is really helpful and I suggest you keep the information handy so that you do not have a character acting, well, out of character.

I have two particular characters from an MG novel I wrote several years ago who I know like a book (pardon the pun). I can predict exactly what they would do even now, so whenever I get that book published, or write another using those same characters, it will be a breeze to do, as well as lots of fun.

Talking to your characters can save you tons of writing time and allows you to create something that is realistic, believable and worth reading. So go sit down with those characters of yours and have a nice chat!