Character Creation

Q.      Do you personally know other fantasy writers?a.       I do not. Q.      How do you create characters? Do you try to thinking through as much of their personality and history as you can before you start writing them in your books? Or do they just evolve naturally somehow as you write? Have you ever surprised yourself by the turn a character has taken that you didn't quite anticipate?a.       When I started The Sorcerer’s Ascension I had Azerick and Maude’s crew created in my mind. Beyond that, everyone else I made up as needed as the story unfolded. Because I am “discovery writer” and have almost no clue what is going to happen much beyond where I am at right now, I cannot create them very far in advance.  They are a product of their environment and evolve along with the story. When I create a new character, I try to make that person unique and memorable with a real personality even if they exist only in a one a few scenes. Like in life, everyone is unique and I want to try and convey that in my books as well. I have had a few characters evolve far beyond what I had expected. Azerick most notably. I never intended him to become as dark and foreboding as he has. Probably my favorite evolution of character was Tarth. I really enjoyed writing his back story in The Sorcerer’s Return. When I made him and Maude’s crew, it was mostly just to entertain with little connection to the main plot. When I realized I had to really tie them in, I had to give serious consideration to providing a real identity.Q.      How long did it take you to write your first book?a.      I wrote the first draft to The Sorcerer’s Ascension in about a month. I wrote the next three books and The Portal in just under a year. These were fairly raw at the time and needed months of proofing and editing. I’m still trying to get book 1 right! Now I try to have a book from start to on the shelf done in about six months.