Wednesday, January 23, 2008

"What a character!"

-words we hear when someone is describing an odd, yet intriguing person.

But, what is a character when it comes to writing fiction? Little did I know there is a soul within every individual... even the ones in print. And, this soul is the true character. NOT! what they look like or the social class they fit in. No, these are just characteristics of the person.
The very core identity of every person in a story is the true character - or as Jenkins said, "Who they are under pressure."

This leaves me completely exhausted as I think about writing fiction. How in the world can I manage the life of other souls when I can hardly wrestle with my own every day?

Journalism fits me much better. Just spit out what other people did that day in an organized and intriguing way and you have a golden story.

There is much to learn.