A Goodreads user
asked
Sarah Sundin:
Hello there and thank you for your books! When you're writing and you come to the happening of a character's loss, do you ever regret the decision of their absence or have grown completely fond of them?
Sarah Sundin
Hi Kaitlyn! I'm so glad you're enjoying the stories. Yes, whenever I have to "kill a character," it hurts. I planned for this character to die from the very beginning. I created him or her for the sole purpose of dying. But as I write the characters, I grow to like them so much, and I argue with myself. Isn't there any way to let them live? But then I have to ask myself whether the story will be stronger or weaker if they live. Almost always, it would be weaker. I have to remind myself that if all the characters lived, I wouldn't be portraying wartime in a realistic manner. And as my main characters mourn the deaths, possibly dealing with regrets, the stories grow richer and more meaningful to readers. Because hard, hard things happen in real life too.
More Answered Questions
Alyssa
asked
Sarah Sundin:
Have you found it difficult to create authentic spiritual experiences in your characters and share spiritual wisdom with your readers, while maintaining the integrity of the story? Many Christian books are too didactic to the detriment of the story or are completely devoid of the Gospel. What have you done to achieve the balance between the two? Thank you so much for writing books with spiritual depth!
Kellyn Roth
asked
Sarah Sundin:
I just finished the second book in the Waves of Freedom book. I read it so fast that I'm going to have to read it again so to take it all in before I can review it! When you were writing it, was there a character that gave you any trouble? I'm [trying to become] a writer, and my characters are always giving me trouble. They always seem to have minds of their own. Do yours, or is it just my crazy personification?
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