I think one of the hardest parts about writing for me is the fact that I really love my characters. Okay, that didn’t sound right; just hear me out. Some my characters have been with me for years, taking form in my mind and on paper. If nothing else, I can say for certain is that I know all of my characters, inside and out.Only by knowing, truly knowing, who my characters are, can I make them move through the world. I know what they like, what they don’t like and what makes them who they are. I know their greatest joys, their deepest sorrows and the secrets that they can’t reveal to anyone else. I’ve worked hard to make my characters live and breathe in the world that I’ve created for them.
Of course, my characters have grown and evolved from how I originally envisioned them. Some only barely resemble their original concept. In the process, I’ve found myself more or less befriending them. Which, unfortunately, makes it much harder to put them in the situations that will move the plot.
As a writer, I find myself having to divorce myself from my characters in a “tough love” sort of way. “This will hurt me more than it hurts you.” I know what I want to happen in my plot and I know who the plot movers have to be. I also know what these situations will do to my characters. My characters will grow and change. Some will change for the better, others not so much. Some may not be who they were before their plot started.
Is challenge a necessity to good story telling? Sure. But I have to admit that it is more than a little bit heartbreaking for me as their creator.
