When I work, I get an impression about the characters and the details of their lives and who they are. I get this impression before I even start writing. Something about the emotional state of a character or a crucial situation in their life strikes me and I have to write it. One impression leads to the next and the lives of my characters intertwine. I follow the sparks and hopefully they lead to fire. In the end I know these characters so well I’ve become them in some way.
Take Joe Taylor, for instance. When I was writing his story I went around rubbing my chin like I wanted a drink (I don’t drink) and sitting like a man with my legs wide apart. Of course, I lost these tendencies when the book was done and finally put to rest on my bookshelf.
I can imagine and feel moments of these characters’ lives that were never part of the book, but are part of the character as a whole. These moments influenced and shaped who they became as presented in their books. I look forward to sharing these snapshots with you and hope you enjoy them, too.
