Favorite Character

A favorite character...hmm. Well I have to admit that this is a broad topic. A favorite character of my own or someone else's? Well in order to cover my bum I'm going to write a little about both.

Every now and again a writer will fall in love with one of their own characters. I believe that it's impossible to fall in love with every character you create. I speak from personal experience. I downright hate some of the characters I've written but hey, that's life right?

My favorite character that I've written recently is Sera, from a fantasy fiction piece that I've worked on. A strong female lead that I've developed to a point where she's a real person. I've worked on her for so long that she's a real person to me. I'm a "long term" type of writer.

I work on pieces off and on for a couple of years at the very least. Right now i have a few other characters that I've "known" for the same amount of time but I feel a real kinship with Sera. part of it may be because she is the only one that I have an image of. I'm a very visual person and it really helps me to have images of my characters. The best I can manage is a series of pictures of people (some fictional and some not) pasted together to create some semblance of who I'm thinking of. This sketch came out better than I could have hoped. The feel of the character, the overall look, the look in her eyes, it was all right on target. I wish this particular artist would do all my character sketches but unfortunately I can't afford to commission that many and that much work no one should do for free. Sadly my own artistic talent is restricted to clothing. Faces, hair, and expressions are all beyond me. So far she is my favorite character and part of that is I think because I've written her to be a facet of myself.

On that note I'll transition to my favorite character that someone else has written. I first picked up Polgara the Sorceress by David and Leigh Eddings in my teens. Since then I have read it at least a dozen times and each time the main character makes me laugh. Her sense of humor and sarcasm are in line with mine and the way she deals with situations mirrors how I would like to think that I would deal with them. Polgara is a unique character and very real to me because of the character traits and attributes that I feel we share. I have a feeling that in the years to come I will probably read that book another dozen times at least just because it's like having a conversation with an old friend.

In the end I think that an old friend is really what the best characters should feel like. Sometimes they feel that way to the author and some times they don't. What's important is that each character deserves to be written because somewhere there is a reader waiting to make that "old friend" connection and they might be waiting for your latest character. How awesome is that thought?

Taking a Breather / Balance in Writing Styles

Lately I've been working hard on turning out some of my research into articles for my website and that's meant putting my creative outlets on hold. I've tried going back and forth between projects and my brain doesn't switch over that easily. Has anyone else had that problem?

For instance, I've just completed one article that's turned out to be a beast and rather long and includes a fair bit of research. I'm pleased with how it's turned out but it doesn't provide me with the usual stress relief of writing one of my fiction pieces. I know I need to turn out at least one more article in the next couple of days since I'll be busy this weekend and unable to finish it then for next week.

I've never been very good at working with deadlines, even the ones I give myself! I'm flexible with myself because that's what life requires sometimes. On the flip side I try to make those deadlines firm in my mind so that I take them as seriously as, say, a publisher's. I look forward to the time where I can better balance the workload in the two different writing styles.

I have a lot to work into my schedule  I do have a seasonal daytime job besides my three blogs and family life. Why don't I drop one of my blogs? It's my way to talking to myself and keeping record so that I don't forget what I've decided or concluded. It's kind of talking out loud which may or may not sound crazy, depending on t person you are. Thankfully I have a cat to talk to that likes to keep me company. That's her in the picture to the right. Amber is my writing and computer buddy though she can be more of a nuisance than inspiration. It doesn't help that I procrastinate upon occasion...like now! Well I suppose I should be going back to the drawing board!

Location, Location, Location!

In a little turn of events I've decided to talk about where my stories take place. I know a number of my writerly friends will often center their stories on locations that they know well or have lived in. I'd say about half of them do that. Then there are those that choose to set their stories in completely foreign locales. Some of them are complete fiction while others use real cities. As for myself I go back and forth between these two solutions.

To tell the truth, location for my modern day stories is one of my pitfalls. I suppose my biggest issue is that I'm never sure how specific or vague to be. I understand that it's a fine line between too little and too much information and I've improved over time, to be sure. My best solution thus far has been to mix the reality with the fiction. I'll pick a location or city that I think might work than alter it to suit my needs. The result is  the flavor of a specific locale but with proper distances and place relations that my plot calls for. If you look hard enough there are usually tell tale signs of which city I've pilfered from though.

Fantasy is much easier to a certain extent and more difficult in others. When creating a fantasy world (or a map which is where I usually start) it's hard for me to leave the unknown...well unknown. I have maps for cities, buildings, villages, almost everything. At times feel more like a cartographer than an author. I'm a visual sort of person so I suppose it can't be helped! The only problem I really have is when my OCD kicks in which is almost all the time, hence the multitudes of maps. Whatever works for me right?

What are some of your location secrets?