Crushing on Your Own Characters

Write the characters you want to read in the world.

In my case, I wrote of a punk warrior with an undercut and serpent tattoos. Okay, so maybe they turn out just the teeniest bit evil as the novel progresses.

I have a TYPE, okay?

I’m not sure if other writers deal with this, but I find myself hitting this strange point where I reread my own writing, get to the final sentence, and go “wait, where’s the rest of it?”

Then you have the realization that, oh right, I haven’t written it yet.

There’s something great in being the creator of this alternate reality. It’s that thrill that keeps all of us going. The artists, the comic book creators, the writers of scripts and novels and poems.

There’s something even better about falling in love with your characters. I made her snarky. Sarcastic. A bit too bold.

And yes, slightly evil.

But, perhaps most importantly, I was having fun writing again.

I forget that, sometimes. That I write to entertain others, including myself. Write so it’s fun again. No matter if you need to throw a punk rock type in there. An adorable giant. A huggable snow-wolf.

Write for yourself first. Write fully. Wholly. Even a teensy bit selfishly.

It’s your show. Your world.

Let you entertain, well, you.