Meeting the Hero

Writing always starts with the characters for me. Since they're the heart and soul of the story, it seems fitting. A lot of them just pop up into the story without my meaning them to, however, the protagonist is a different matter altogether.

Meeting my hero is like the first time I meet a potential love interest. It starts out a little cautiously. Possibly a little awkwardly. I'm shy. There's a lot at stake. Can this person carry my story? Will I stay interested? I only get the first impression. I see what he/she looks like, I see her first interaction in her first scene (which may or may not ever get used). I get a small taste of how he talks or how she moves. But, as in any relationship, it takes time to get to know them, to see his little quirks and to discover the things that drive her.

Approaching character as a writer is extremely similar to approaching character as an actor (except as a writer you are responsible for all the characters down to spear carrier #5). I ask questions. What is his history? How did she grow up? Was he raised in privilege or squalor or somewhere in between? What events shaped her life? What people? What is it that drives this person? What is his dream? What is his biggest fear?

After answering the initial questions, I start to obsess. I'll come up with images/animals/smells that remind me of the character. I start to look at situations through her eyes. I'll research the things that she is interested in. I'll daydream and daydream and daydream some more about scenes from his life or from the story (which often get discarded, but sometimes I'll find a gem). Then, after a while, he starts talking to me. If I have a question, I'll sit down to address it, but it no longer feels like I'm in control. If something isn't right in the dialogue or in a reaction, I'll see it instantly and rewrite it because I know his voice, his sense of humor, his fears and passions. Yet even after knowing a character for a long time, she still can surprise you! There are so many moments when I had a very clear idea in my mind about where the story was going, but then one of my heroes will say or do something that completely blows away anything that I previously imagined.

Writing, like acting, is about discovery. It is an amazing process that runs much deeper than the technical aspects. You get to know your characters in such an intimate, emotional way that they become dear friends (including, no, especially the villains). They become an extension of your soul. There's really nothing like it!