This week we’re writing about protagonists, in terms of conflict and drama. Do we make choices for them? Or let our characters lead the way? As a writer, I’m a mixture of a plotter and a seat-of-my-pants drafter. Considering I write historical fiction (and I don’t want to piss people off who study history…) I try to align with historical fact as much as possible. The beauty with BECOMING BONNIE is not…
I started my professional life in theater, specifically in the David Mamet school-of-thought, and Mamet reminded actors all the time that “character” is defined by what people do. It’s all about action. Throwing up, in my opinion, is a fabulous action. For some reason I love making my characters throw up. I’m not sure what that says about me or them, but there’s something about vomiting that appeals to me. In…
When my husband was reading an early draft of COME AWAY WITH ME, it wasn’t long before he turned to me and asked, “So, I’m Gabe, right?” (Yes, but only the good parts, naturally …*wink wink*) Gabe is fictional, of course he is. But there is a lot of my husband in him – from expressions he uses, to moments we’ve had together, to the song Gabe sings and plays…
Like most writers, I don’t know where characters begin. A moment in passing, a stranger on the train, a half-remembered story, a what if — characters begin as whispers and shadows, best seen peripherally. Time passes, and you do your best to show up every day, hang out for a few minutes or a few hours, and begin to tease out their stories. I don’t know of any way to…
