Patricia A. Knight
Hi Medusa,
They introduce themselves to me. I think sometimes that I'm like that olden day scribe who people used to pay to write letters for them. I'm simply the intermediary for the fully formed characters who inhabit Verdantia.
When I begin each book, I have an idea about an occurance on that world and I rummage around in my brain asking the question: Who is involved in all this chicanery, combat, kidnapping, etc., etc., and the characters step forward and say, "This is who I am. Write this down." As I do, others step forward to play supporting roles and come back to haunt me, demanding their own book.
It is highly inconvenient.
My characters are quite bossy and take my plots in directions that differ widely from the concept of the book as originally outlined. At times, the characters are difficult to write as they don't want to reveal much about themselves. Doral (Hers To Command) and Hel (Hers To Claim) are two that come to mind. They are very private people--for different reasons--and it wasn't until I had finished writing the book, that I felt I truly knew them. THEN I went back and added all sorts of details I hadn't known about them until I went on their journey. Steffania and Ramsey (Hers To Cherish) were easy. Both of them are rather "in your face" kind of people. Ramsey, for one, doesn't give a flying *f* what people think of him and was quite blunt about how I should write him.
If you study "how to write good characters" you will note that most of my heroes and heroines fit traditional archtypes. They are probably mishmashes of my favorite characters from the thousands of books I've read over the years.
Nevertheless, I have niggling feeling in the back of my muddle brain that they live and breathe in a galaxy as yet unheard of and are simply waiting for me to write their stories.
Hugs,
PAK
They introduce themselves to me. I think sometimes that I'm like that olden day scribe who people used to pay to write letters for them. I'm simply the intermediary for the fully formed characters who inhabit Verdantia.
When I begin each book, I have an idea about an occurance on that world and I rummage around in my brain asking the question: Who is involved in all this chicanery, combat, kidnapping, etc., etc., and the characters step forward and say, "This is who I am. Write this down." As I do, others step forward to play supporting roles and come back to haunt me, demanding their own book.
It is highly inconvenient.
My characters are quite bossy and take my plots in directions that differ widely from the concept of the book as originally outlined. At times, the characters are difficult to write as they don't want to reveal much about themselves. Doral (Hers To Command) and Hel (Hers To Claim) are two that come to mind. They are very private people--for different reasons--and it wasn't until I had finished writing the book, that I felt I truly knew them. THEN I went back and added all sorts of details I hadn't known about them until I went on their journey. Steffania and Ramsey (Hers To Cherish) were easy. Both of them are rather "in your face" kind of people. Ramsey, for one, doesn't give a flying *f* what people think of him and was quite blunt about how I should write him.
If you study "how to write good characters" you will note that most of my heroes and heroines fit traditional archtypes. They are probably mishmashes of my favorite characters from the thousands of books I've read over the years.
Nevertheless, I have niggling feeling in the back of my muddle brain that they live and breathe in a galaxy as yet unheard of and are simply waiting for me to write their stories.
Hugs,
PAK
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