Waiting.
I hate waiting. But as a writer, I do a lot of it. I wait for the emails from my agent… wait for the news that my novel’s going to be published… wait for the clothes to come out of the dryer.
Okay, that last one isn’t really a part of the writing process. Yet, in a way, it is. Because working a full-time job and maintaining a (semi-clean) home means I’m always multitasking. Dishwasher unloaded? Check. Revisions to second book completed? Check. New business cards ready to pick up from the printer? Check. Running fifteen minutes late for work, again? Check.
Sigh…
The best bit is when I’m writing, sitting in front of my laptop, completely immersed in the world I’ve created. For me, the characters come first. My characters – if I’ve done my job right – come alive on the page, often leading me in an entirely different direction than the one I’d planned. And usually, their way is infinitely better than mine. Because in order for characters (and their actions) to be convincing, they need to be real, to have flaws and quirks, just like real people – not cardboard figures being moved around arbitrarily in a plot. I can see them; I can hear their voices; I can predict (usually) how they’ll react in any given situation…
…because I know my characters almost as well as I know myself.
You can have the best plot in the world; but without great characters, the story doesn’t really come alive. Even the most despicable bad guy should have at least one small redeeming quality; and the most heroic hero should have a flaw or two. These inconsistences are what make characters believable and memorable.
Well, the dryer timer’s just buzzed downstairs; I’ve got to go and fold a load of clothes. Ah, the glamorous life of a writer.
But I wouldn’t change a thing.
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