Characters and Such

I have so many things I still want to share from the conference and some insights arrived at during this past week, but I found this quote and had to go with it.....

From Franny Billingsley: http://www.hbook.com/newsletter/index.html

“When I begin writing, my characters are bits of protoplasm that I move about the narrative board. But as I write, and write and write, I begin to understand them: I understand what makes them tick, understand their perceptions of themselves, their childhood wounds, their deep-down desires — the desires they hide even from themselves (this last mostly true of Briony). And once I come to understand these things, understand them in a deep-down way myself, the character’s voice begins to emerge in surprising ways.” 
 
I got quite a kick out of reading this. It is one of the reasons I read mags about writing, blogs about writing, go to writers’ conferences, and take classes in writing.

I still feel the neophyte. I wonder constantly if I’m ‘doing the right thing.’ I question my process of writing.

And then I see things like above and connect with the thought. The insecurity vanishes for a time. And all is right with the world.

Of course, the insecurities come back – but by that time, I’m signed up for another course, or another conference, or the next issue is out…..

Life is good, incredibly good.