When characters talk to you

I’ve been writing fiction for many years, but when you’re young and unguided, the stories don’t amount to much. It’s only when we can connect and understand our characters that their stories take form. It’s when we listen to our characters and write what they’re telling us. For a lot of people, this doesn’t make sense. Most people understand muses and inspiration and those are important too. But in my experience, the best stories and novels practically write themselves when the characters are strong and willing to share.

When characters talk to you, it’s a magical thing. Ask any fiction writer and they would agree. Despite what many people believe, writers don’t merely sit down and start making stuff up. It takes time–days, months and even years–to begin a novel and sometimes the same amount of time to finish it. Every writer is different and there are exceptions, but I will speak here about my own experience.

In 2010, I wrote a first draft of my first novel. I had written many short stories before, but I really wanted to complete a novel. So, I took inspiration from my coworkers and experiences at my job at a doggie daycare and went for it. I thought it would be easy and flow well, but that’s not what happened. Instead, there were no characters who were talking to me and no direction that made me feel like I was creating a solid story. But I finished the first draft anyway because I’m stubborn. I wanted to finally say that I wrote my first novel, even if it was a terribly shitty first draft.

I never did anything with that draft because I knew before I finished it that it was crap. But I learned from that childish, uninspired attempt. I formed an idea for my second novel that was inspired by the real love story between my husband and I and the events that unfolded during the first year of our marriage. I thought a lot about what I wanted to write and the unique structure I would use to tell it. I allowed appropriate songs to inspire my writing mood. This was the first time I used music to help me write, and I enjoyed creating a soundtrack for my novel. The first novel didn’t even have a title until after I wrote it. This one had a title, stronger characters, and I knew where I was going with it. But, again, it was based on my own life experiences. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with that, and I know many writers do this. But in this second novel, I sat down and created the stories and characters. I didn’t allow them to tell me the story. I told it, and while it was way better than my first novel, this draft needed a lot of work.

I did work on it, finishing two more drafts, but it still hasn’t found its way to that final stage yet. I set it aside when a character finally found me and charmed me into telling her story. This character was so driven, so real, so passionate about telling me her story that I became just as driven and passionate about writing it. I let her hang out in my mind, guiding me to who and where she was. Her history, her current life, her screw-ups and dreams. She told me about her best friend, her boyfriend, her crush. I took it all in and was so excited. This time I was genuinely ready to start writing. With all my thoughts, notes and another soundtrack playing in the background, I chose to write this first draft for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). And that November back in 2013 was the easiest and most exhilarating writing I’ve ever done. I wrote every day, even when I became ill and barely had the energy to lift my hands to the keyboard. But she wouldn’t let me stop, wouldn’t let me skip a day. And the other characters joined in during the month and demanded the same. I loved them all. I became obsessed. It was an experience like no other, and I’ve never had another one quite like it since.

When I read it, I didn’t see it as a shitty first draft. Yes, it needed revision, but not like the others I had written. This one was different. These characters made sure I wrote in a specific and magical way. I was so entranced by these characters and their world that I continued with them and wrote a sequel. To this day, I still revisit them and wonder when I’ll hear from them to write another.

This is the beauty and the magic that happens when characters talk to you. I never thought about it as much as I did when I wrote what would become my first self-published novella. That story, those characters and their lives will always hold a special place in my heart and in my writing life. I’ve written and published novellas since then, and those were also character-driven. But Bring Me to Life is the soul of my creative education. It is the reason I understand how and when to write. There’s nothing quite like writing fiction. It is a dream, an escape and a reality.

Tell me about the characters who are talking to you.