From an early age I remember enjoying connecting with people and learning how they feel. I like getting to know people, hearing their stories, learning what motivates them, what scares them, what makes them tick. I enjoy watching people, seeing how they move, how they interact with people and the world around them. We all have had a host of different experiences that have shaped us in very different ways. I truly enjoy people, our vast differences and the common bonds we share.
I’m always surprised when something in my mind connects a real live person with a fictional character I’m creating. Because a lot of my story comes to me as little fragments of plot that seem to knit themselves together and evolve as we go, I often only see my characters very superficially for a while. I know how they work into the story and their importance there. As I spend more time getting to know them, I’ll learn their background stories, their challenges. I hope to come to learn their passions and their dreams, to see their faces and how they interact with the world around them.
Years ago, I’d moved to a new area for a job. Not knowing many people in the area, I often spent my evenings at one of their pubs, writing and getting to know new people. One night a really interesting fellow struck up a conversation with me. He was a surprising mix of brains and brawn, and we had quite the dynamic conversation. Because I didn’t know many people, I’d been really focused on writing since moving there. My story had evolved a lot and one secondary character had begun to take on a much bigger role. I’d originally seen this character in a very different way. I saw his role in the story and knew his background and his importance in the story, but I’d seen him very superficially and generic. It was like my mind only formed him as much as necessary at the time to continue until I was ready to look more closely at him
Somewhere in my conversation at the pub, I realized that I was literally talking with my character (or maybe a slightly younger version of him). It was a little shocking to come to that realization. I’ve sometimes been inspired by different aspects of real life people; the way they walk, move or act. Small gestures or big, many little things have led to inspiration for characters I’m creating. Never before had I felt like a full character had literally walked out of the pages to find me. It was interesting getting to know him and how he looked at the world around him, the way his mind worked, the way he carried himself. I learned a lot that night from him and am glad our paths crossed.
