Character Studies

I was speaking with some of my readers the other day, and

I was asked an interesting question. They were talking about reader experience with stories and how we get attached to characters and long to experience them again. That's when they asked me if it was the same for characters I had made. Do they live with me after the story is done? Do I long to go back to them? Is that something authors do or experience? I love this question. It gets me thinking about myself, and about other authors. It gets me thinking about what makes characters stick with someone long after they finish the story.

To directly answer the question asked before we play with

it a bit, yes. My characters stick with me long after I finish writing. I will go back and reread something I wrote just to spend time with the characters again, just like I do with other author's characters. The danger in that is that as the author, and one set on growing I inevitably then want to edit and refine with the new skills I have learned. That could leave me editing forever if I am not careful. My stories are driven by the characters in them and I cherish them and the lessons I learn through them. I can't leave them behind.

I think many, if not most, authors are the same way. We all

have our "darlings", the characters we latch onto the most. We also have characters we adore for who they are and how we have represented our craft through them. I would be harder pressed to think of a name of an author that I don't think would go back to their characters than ones that I think would. Maybe more plot driven writers would be more attached to the dance and flow of their stories than the people in them. I can't say. I find it hard to think that authors could walk away from their characters unaffected.

After all, you must remember that the longest you might

spend reading a book the first time is forty hours or so. Looking at you Brandon Sanderson fans. However, speaking for myself in just one of my novels, Project G is on its Seventh draft and I have 257 hours logged in just one of the programs I used which means it doesn't account for all the work I did outside of that program. The main Character, Aidas, has become a significant part of my life. I have learned so much from him about writing and about people that I did miss him when taking breaks between drafts and prepping book G2.

However, it is not only time that attaches us to characters. I

have spent as much time with the other characters in my stories, but not all of them pop into my head on a random day with the feeling of missing them, and not all to the same degree. I have seen so many say there are formulas to get readers attached to characters, that it has to do with the care to detail that you bake into them. I have doubts. I only think readers can tell how much you baked into a character if you truly neglect them so that they are paper thin. How many of you fell in love with a character only in one chapter? I doubt the author spent as much time on them.I think it comes down to your humanity connecting to the humanity within the Character.

You, reader, have experiences and preferences that shape

you. If you look at your favorite characters long enough you will find it is because they hold some or many mirrors to you. Let me provide you an example from my childhood. I have two brothers and we are all geeks/nerds. One of our favorite T.V. shows was Star Gate: SG1. We each picked different favorite characters. We loved all the characters but the character we dubbed "Favorite" held that mirror quality. My older brother picked Colonel Jack O 'Neill. Jack is humorous, strategic, and cares deeply for those around him with a fierce loyalty. My brother is the same. My favorite character was Dr. Daniel Jackson. Daniel is a lover of learning, patient spirited, with grit when tested. I am the same. My younger brother's favorite was Teal 'c who is a reasoner, protector and deeply loving. My brother is the same. There are many facets of these characters that are vastly different from us and the traits listed are not shown the same ways in us as in the characters, but it is there; the humanity in us connecting to the humanity in them.

What about despicable characters who do heinous things

but still captivate? It is the same, but in a different way. It is humanity twisted, seeing what we, ourselves,may become, not in entirety, but in part. It gives us a warning connection that how we maintain our humanity matters. These connections through humanity do not take a lot of work to make. That is how we can get attached to characters with minimal presence within the story.

It's one of the reasons why Clair Obscur Expedition 33's

opening was so effective. Sophie stays with us because she is a woman who loved, who was forced to make impossible choices, who had forgiveness, pity, and dignity in the face of doom. She was human, though we only spent minutes with her, her humanity echoed after her. I do wonder if the draw I have for my own characters will remain the same over time. Will I go back to reread Project G just to spend time with Aidas when he lives in my sixth novel and I have just finished my fortieth? I think I will. It would be a better question for a more prolific author or for several years down the road. I think it is hard to quantify the care an author has for their characters. You may find that they have a different favorite character in their works, and it may, even, not be the main character in their story. In Project G, Aidas is the main character and my favorite. In Project BDU, Kes is my favorite though he is a secondary character. However, he is not the right character to drive that novel. I look forward to the someday when I will find out if they are your favorites too.

For now, you can join me in the introspection on whether

your favorite characters say something about you. If they do, what does that tell you? Is it their weaknesses or strengths? I believe we can learn a lot about ourselves through the characters we choose to spend the most time with. So, what lessons are you learning? Until the next time I post, I will certainly be thinking about that in reference to myself. Perhaps, you will too.