About to jump into a new writing project, I find myself developing brand new characters, and I realize I haven’t really done this in a while. I’ve been working on one large writing project for a long time and have grown very comfortable and familiar with my main characters. Yes, there are new characters that enter the scene from time to time and have their roles to play, but the main characters remain constant. They grow and change along the way, but I see them so clearly. While there is a lot to creating any character, there’s something about creating a new main character and the world around them, seeing them begin to take shape and take on a life of their own. Beginning hazy, you start to see their faces, their bodies, their mannerisms. Their passions, views, and the way they look at and interact with the world take shape. You see their relationships and the way they connect with people, and how these interactions make them feel. I find it a fun and exciting process.
This new writing project is a short story. Right now it’s still developing, but I think it might take place in one solitary location: A local coffee shop. It will focus more on developing complex characters and the relationships and connections between them. I often find inspiration from life around me, and I think this will be the same. I find myself drifting to relationships in my own life. Right now I’m on a break from school and visiting with old friends and family. Every one of these connections is unique and precious, formed by our experiences throughout the years. I just had a great visit with an old friend visiting from Saltspring Island. She’s one of those friends that despite the time you spend apart, no matter where life takes you, when you do catch up, it’s like no time at all has passed and you fall seamlessly back into step. I treasure this friendship and the time we do get to spend together.
I think that tomorrow morning I will spend a few hours in one of my favourite coffee shops while I’m back home. Not only will it be great to catch up and visit some good people that I haven’t seen in a while, but it will be an excellent opportunity to quietly observe people and the way they go about their daily coffee rituals and connect with those around them. I hope to see those enjoying a long lingering coffee moment, slowly doctoring their beverages to perfection, enjoying a laugh and a connected moment, or those madly rushing to grab their morning brew on their way to work. Perhaps something glimpsed in a shared moment will spark inspiration: tender, tense, awkward, or otherwise.
