Close To You: For a Great Story, Get In The Groove With Your Characters

      Some time back, I had the opportunity to hear YA author Han Nolan speak at a conference. One thing she touched on struck me deep: Her personal relationships with her characters.

              Han said she was out shopping once, and she spotted a butterfly trinket. My friend would like that, she thought. Then she remembered: Her friend wasn’t real. She was a character in one of Han’s novels.

            This is how close we should be to our characters. We should think of what gifts they would like. What clothes they wear. Whether they prefer Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts – or, heaven forbid, we must consider that they may not consume caffeine at all.

            Think of it as living in an alternate universe. Because you are. You have created it, so only you can flesh it out fully. You must give your characters the attention they need so they can reciprocate, giving you the story you desire.

            It’s like gardening, but it’s better. Because you don’t really have to dig through dirt.

            The dirt's in your mind. (The only dirt I like is the metaphorical kind.)

            Another sign that you’re “in the groove” (as my Aunt Olga said) is when your character speaks to you. “My name is Darwin,” a voice said out of the blue in my head one day, as I turned a corner not far from my house (there’s a certain spot where I connect with my peeps.)

            I wasn’t perturbed. I guess a part of me had been expecting him.

            “Well,” I said. “Then I guess the name of the book is Evolution.”

            I told Darwin’s painful story¸ and I did it fast. It was like I was taking dictation from him.

            Evolution is the truest story I’ve written, even though it’s fiction. It’s so real and disturbing that some people can’t handle it. The point is: It all sprung from a close relationship with the character.

                        You are not your characters, and they are not you. You won't agree with all of their decisions and actions – but you must follow them along and document them anyway. Like the people who film animals in the wild. Watching those clips, I always think, Why won’t the guy filming help the antelope being stalked by lions? 

                         The guy isn’t there to fight nature.

                          And, in fact, you can't.

                          Even (and especially) in fiction, we are documenting the human condition. That is why the reader cares. We can and must have empathy for our characters, without playing God. The Girl Next Door was like that for me. How hard to watch a relationship playing out when one of the pair has cancer. Devastating.

            Dreaming your story is a good start. That’s what happened with The Girl Next Door.

I dreamed a little dream...

I had the whole thing in my head when I woke up one morning, even though I was struggling to write Saved by the Music.

Only when I let the characters take the lead could I write this story, and it was based on me!

            Your characters will have their way with you, whether you like it or not. Fighting them just makes it harder. They will get that message out. So shut up and listen.  

            Get in the groove with your characters and your story will soar. Every time.