Wednesday, October 11, 2023
When characters become real to you as a writer.
Daily Diary, Day 1136:
I was reminded about how real characters become to me on Monday when I was taking a break in my writing to make tea (and wash the lunch dishes while the kettle came to a boil.) I had just ended a chapter in the Mei Lin’s grandparents’ apartment (and if this means nothing to you, that’s fine.) The point is that when my tea was made, I was going to start another chapter where Mei Lin was going to leave the apartment to go to work, and she was worried (ie I was worried) about how Eurig, her close companion, a sentient animal called a gwynddoeth, was going to spend his day.
In the world I had created, it was illegal for him to be in the city at all, so he couldn’t go with her. Mei Lin (again, this is really me) worried he would be bored. Would he just sleep, like a dog or cat might? Might he try to follow her? Then, suddenly I thought about how intelligent he was, and how curious he was about new experiences. But that the place and people he normally lived with were not big on technological-based entertainment so he wouldn’t have much experience with large screen videos. Viola! I could write that she had discovered the last time he was with her in the apartment that he really loved looking at videos set in different parts of the planet so she will ask the apartment AI to run travel-log type videos for him.
This solution, which has nothing to do with the plot, absolutely delighted me, and I hoped I would be able weave it into the plot, which I did in yesterday’s writing. Whether it will stay? Who knows.
By the way, the gwynddoeths are based loosely on a kind of lemur. See photo.
As for my exercise and writing, yesterday was once again productive, I got all my walks in and I got just over 1200 words written. Today I won’t have as much time to write because I have a phone date with an old friend around dinner time, which means I will need to get my second walk in before then, and I also have a scheduled phone meeting this morning, as well as groceries to put away. But I have cleaned, walked, and written 120 words so far, not a bad morning so far.
And here is another ghosts from my walk.
Wonderful! Pure joy! I tell friends that my characters are banging around in my head trying to get to paper. Some days I can't edit until I get down the next chapter in another novel and I send them to "Patience and kindness" bench! Today, I woke up with my 1618 based bishop, disguised as an old man, talking to orphans in the remnants of a church they call home. His answer to one of their questions gave me the theological underpinnings for the series title! Thanks for sharing. It means a lot to know that it happens to others too! Thanks for all the wonderful spooky pictures!
It’s strange, but that’s how I pictured the little animal in my mind! Good job describing it!