...You just need to be (no not a doctor, it costs a lot of
money to earn that degree); a writer. You read me right. It doesn’t take any
money at all to start writing. A walk to the local library, plop yourself down
at the public computers and start typing. There are free writing sites out
there (my favorite is Protagonize, of course). Or you could sign up for free
e-mail and send the story out to the ones you love. But, either way, it’s
totally free to dish out agony and pain on the characters you create.
Of course being a writer comes with its own pit falls. If
you’re doing it like I do, your characters start to live inside your head and
you’ll find yourself talking to them at odd moments. Worse yet they could take
over you words and you might blurt something out. I’m serious. Charley’s characters
took over her blog once to plead for help.
I haven’t had anything so drastic happen. I prefer to be a
benevolent Goddess and love dishing out happy endings. Not ever afters mind
you, those are simply unrealistic, but what they call in the Romance industry ‘happily
for now’ – my life is full of those moments so I share with my characters, the
good guys at least. They in turn protect me from the evil nasties I’ve begun to
create.
It’s quite fun, actually, to see my character come to life
and grow into their own persons. Plus, it’s a lot less stressful than raising
my kids. No one will accuse me of child
abuse if I stuff a character into a bunker only to fill it with rotting
vegetable stew. Not to mention those great character conversations that happen between
me and Charley.
Of course, she’s like me so she doesn’t think I’m crazy for
it. In fact I blame her for my characters becoming so vocal and active. Now I
find them watching through my eyes and making observations about the world I
live in. Sometimes keeping those thoughts to myself hard because... well, here’re
two examples from Rachael.
Example 1
My hubby and I were
watching Firefly, I can’t remember the episode now, but Rachel
grins at me from inside my skull.
“I like him,” she
comments as Captain Reynolds kicks the bad guy into the running engine because
he won’t take the Captain’s message back to his nefarious boss.
Of course, she would
like Mal. Though I created her before I ever say Firefly or Serenity, Rachael
is a female version of him. She runs her ship without a crew, though... Or, she
did until I decided to reunite her with her hodge podge family. Don’t let her grumbling
fool you, she loves them and woe to anyone who tries to mess with them.
Example 2 (links in this example are 'not safe for work')
My hubby and I got
cozy and started watching Diary of a Nymphomaniac and
Rachael saunters into my brain.
“That’s what I am,”
she states, indicating the main character with a smirk.
I think my jaw must
have dropped, even if I didn’t say what I wanted to. I mean,
I’d known she was an
adrenal junkie. And sure, she was a saucy minx and liked sex, but a
nymphomaniac? That threw a wrench into the works on the loving
romance I was hoping to write in there. Michael might never get over his
depression now!
Yes, us writers may be the Gods of our creations, but our
characters will assert their
individuality. Of course if they annoy us too much we can alter their stories
to add more physical or mental anguish. However, these are probably thoughts
best not said out loud because, as Miriam so nicely blogged about, you might
have to tell the police: “I’m Not a Psychopath. Honest!”
Have you had any moments like that? I told my hubby
about a couple and decided not to tell him anymore. I love the dear man
and don’t want him to think I‘m crazier than he already does. Not to mention
he’s currently my best editor... when I can get him to edit my stuff!
*Giggles and Grins*
:} Elo / Cathryn
P.S. I’d like to thank Tammy J. Patton, whose comment on Anne’s blog about Writer Myths for the inspiration of this post –
even if it took me a month to write and post it. {:
