Q&A with Fiona Robyn discussion
Q - Do my characters have a life of their own?
date
newest »
newest »
Yep - hence why I refer to my characters as "the zoo". They can get as noisy as one depending on who may be the loudest. They're also not shy about telling me if I'm doing something wrong with either the way I write them or if I had the wrong impression about them.
yes, this makes perfect sense Fiona. Although i only write for myself (so i certainly can't compare myself to a "real writer") my characters definitely have a life of their own and gradually reveal their various lifestories and inner worlds. They surprise me constantly!
Mod
And Katia - what is a 'real writer' anyway? If you write, then you're a writer!
Katia, I have to agree with Fiona - if you write, you're a writer.With me, I've just recently (as within the past 6-7 months) started submitting one of my "shorts" (5,000 or less words) - I've been writing, in one form or another, for over 15 years
The short answer to this is yes. When I start 'getting to know' a new character, it's as if they are already completely formed and it's me that doesn't know them, rather than that I haven't 'invented' them yet. So I might think - would this person have a pet? or What job would they have? The story tends to unfold very naturally from the character, and most of it 'just happens' rather than me making decisions. I'm not sure if that makes any sense at all! Does anyone else write like this?