Saying Goodbye to Characters

Over the years I have read how some authors often find it hard to leave a book they have completed and to move on to the next. In each case they have expressed reluctance to say goodbye to the characters they created. Until recently this was not my own experience.
Perhaps I have not felt the same because, until my latest book, my writing has been primarily autobiographical. Except for the last, my books have been a combination of biography (my ancestor’s dramatic tales); autobiography (my own less than normal life) and memoir (encompassing my own recollections of various events and situations). Consequently, the ‘characters’, if you wish to call them such, were not created from my own imagination but are, or were, actual people. They are forever with me whether living or deceased. In a sense I suppose I have said goodbye to those who have sadly predeceased me but I never forget them, whether good or bad.
But now I have a new experience. As said, my latest book is primarily fictional though inspired by actual events from my maternal grandparent’s dramatic lives. The events themselves make for a dramatic read on their own but, so as to make it more entertaining for readers, I decided to develop the tale into a novel. As a result, I needed to create some fictional characters to enhance and support the story and to take it forward. At first I had been unsure if I could do this although I believe I have a reasonable imagination. However, I quickly found I enjoyed the release from having to rigidly stick to facts and chronology. The freedom to let my imagination run where it will has proven quite liberating. The thought of writing fictionally had been wavering in the back of my mind for some years nevertheless, at the time, I had not had the confidence nor the time to do so. Now, however, my latest experience has persuaded me to push forward with the idea; I have sufficient fodder (excuse the expression) for many tales in both my ancestors and my own lives. I therefore intend to write further fiction when time and responsibilities permit. However, I digress from the point in hand.
When it came to writing the last couple of chapters of my latest book I, to my surprise, initially found a strange reluctance to proceed. Why? I wondered. Slowly I came to appreciate I was experiencing what those other authors had been talking about; I did not wish to finish with my characters. I did not want to see them go. Over the many months of writing they had become part of my mind set if not my life. I had spent a lot of time imagining how they would react and speak in their given situations, private or public, confrontational or peaceful. They really had become part of my life and I discovered an emotional attachment, a ‘relationship’ with them. Oh dear! Now I understand when some authors imply if people knew how we behave when writing they would probably consider we should be ‘shut away’. But I know I am not insane; do I not?! Anyway, back to the point, like many have stated before me, I found I did not want to finish with my ‘friends’, my characters, and yet I was also looking forward to starting the next book.
A couple of thoughts or rather questions:
Had these characters become substitutes for those from whom I have not received the affection I desired? Had they become ‘people’ with whom I could interact without fear of rejection or reprisal? ‘Reprisal!’ you ask. Regrettably many people in my life have been very unkind hence my thoughts of reprisal or in fact worse. But that is not for this discussion topic. Is it healthy to be so attached to fictional characters? Well, in all honesty, I do not think we could write effectively if we did not have some sort of attachment. We need to have an empathy with them if we are to convey to a reader their personalities, thoughts, desires, reactions etc. So to that end yes it is healthy. But of course we need to guard against them becoming psychotic hallucinations. Thankfully, in general, this will naturally be achieved by our interaction with family, friends, colleagues, or social contacts. However, those of us who are on our own and do not, in daily life, have such contacts, need to make the effort to get out or at least to speak to others on the telephone if not in person. Alternatively, if the proceeding suggestions are not a realistic option, the simplicity of just going to the shops may help.
So overall I consider it good to have an empathy with our fictional characters provided we retain the reality of the fact they do not actually exist. And, naturally, as with any relationship, we will be reluctant to see them go. For those who write serially of course this is not an issue until they come to the end of the series. But then, for them, it is probably harder to say goodbye when the series ends as they will have spent far more time with their ‘friends’. Nevertheless, if we are to ever publish the book, we must say goodbye and move on. Of course this is true of any relationship but at least for us authors we have the advantage of being able to look forward to the next book and the new characters we will develop and build a relationship with. We may feel a little despondent for a while but it will soon pass as we bond with our ‘new’ characters.
It is also worth noting (and helpful to those of us who may become concerned about our own mental wellbeing) that some readers also discover a reluctance to finish a book they have been enjoying and to say goodbye to the story’s characters. It is also worth noting we are not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of authors who feel and experience the same sensations as we do.