"When writers experience things, they’re not really experiencing them anything like a hundred percent. They’re always holding back and wondering what the significance of it is, or wondering how they’d do it on the page."
- Martin Amis
01 December 2012
Characters and their Decisions
Last night, I stayed up way too late reading a book.
It was the latest installment in a fiction series that I have always adored. I follow the author on Twitter, and have talked to her a bit there. She seems like a lovely person, and she's been wonderfully gracious when I've asked her a few questions about her writing process.
The problem is, on the very last page of a very good novel, the main character makes a life choice that infuriates me and breaks my heart. It's something that will forever color the way I look at the character. I have faith in the author that she could continue to make the character interesting and compelling, but she's now working with a pretty big impediment.
It's an amazing thing to write a character that is so relatable -- so interesting and inviting -- that a reader is genuinely sad and disappointed by her actions. I finally put the iPad down around 2 this morning. Seven hours later, I'm still thinking about why the author made that choice, how out-of-character it seemed for the heroine, and what it means for future stories.
To me, that is the mark of a good book -- it almost doesn't matter that I didn't like the ending because I am so invested in the character. If I'd tossed it aside and vowed to stop reading because of a distasteful development, then it would be about bad (or at least uninteresting) storytelling. But to craft the decision in such a way that makes me want to go along for the ride -- that's something interesting indeed.
It was the latest installment in a fiction series that I have always adored. I follow the author on Twitter, and have talked to her a bit there. She seems like a lovely person, and she's been wonderfully gracious when I've asked her a few questions about her writing process.
The problem is, on the very last page of a very good novel, the main character makes a life choice that infuriates me and breaks my heart. It's something that will forever color the way I look at the character. I have faith in the author that she could continue to make the character interesting and compelling, but she's now working with a pretty big impediment.
It's an amazing thing to write a character that is so relatable -- so interesting and inviting -- that a reader is genuinely sad and disappointed by her actions. I finally put the iPad down around 2 this morning. Seven hours later, I'm still thinking about why the author made that choice, how out-of-character it seemed for the heroine, and what it means for future stories.
To me, that is the mark of a good book -- it almost doesn't matter that I didn't like the ending because I am so invested in the character. If I'd tossed it aside and vowed to stop reading because of a distasteful development, then it would be about bad (or at least uninteresting) storytelling. But to craft the decision in such a way that makes me want to go along for the ride -- that's something interesting indeed.
06 October 2012
So...
My name is Heather, and I want to write a book.
Yep, there it is. I've been a writer for as long as I can remember. I blog a lot. I've written plenty of stories for magazines. To tell you the truth, essays are my thing. Give me a thousand words and a free hand with big topics and I'm thrilled.
But, the thing is, I'm feeling more and more compelled to write fiction. I think there's a story to be told. I think I know how I want to tell it.
This blog will document the journey of setting a story to paper. From time to time, I'll talk about inspirations and obstacles and the writers and words that I love. Mainly, I've realized it's time to get serious about writing. So, here goes.
Yep, there it is. I've been a writer for as long as I can remember. I blog a lot. I've written plenty of stories for magazines. To tell you the truth, essays are my thing. Give me a thousand words and a free hand with big topics and I'm thrilled.
But, the thing is, I'm feeling more and more compelled to write fiction. I think there's a story to be told. I think I know how I want to tell it.
This blog will document the journey of setting a story to paper. From time to time, I'll talk about inspirations and obstacles and the writers and words that I love. Mainly, I've realized it's time to get serious about writing. So, here goes.
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