Monday, March 28, 2011

When characters tell their story

I learned more about one of the villains from the new Hemlock story today. It's a strange but good experience when a character from a story sort of steps forward out of the shadows and tells their story. That's the best way I can describe what happened this afternoon.

I was driving and listening to some music when my thoughts turned to this character. Suddenly I had a flash of inspiration. Like the focus being adjusted on a lens, the character suddenly gained a new clarity in my mind. The gender was different than I had thought. The history was deeper and different. The motivations and ambitions were also different.

If you've read any of my previous posts, you've probably read my attempts at describing my creative process, and my explanations of why I don't like to do too much outlining. THIS is why. This is the type of sudden insight that I feel I cannot force or synthesize. It's organic, it just happens, and it's a great feeling when it does.

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