When characters become real (Part I)

 Writing | Thoughts 

My favorite part of a story 

Hello Sweet Friend!

Happy December!  Today I am talking about characters and when they become REAL! I hope you like this post! Thank you for reading along! Make sure you check out my Christmas & Winter Book guide from last week! 

Comment and tell me: What is one of your favorite characters?  

I just wrote a post yesterday on The Hunger Games when I talk about two of my favorite characters! I’ll leave the link to the blog post & goodreads! 

• Blog:https://fablerosemc.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-hunger-games-by-suzanne-collins.html 

• Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5069417635 

Part I: When Characters Become Real 

It is a magical thing when characters become real. What do I mean by real? I talk A LOT about characters becoming real but I don’t think I’ve ever explained how they become real or what real even means coming from a fictional character made of page and ink. 

When I say “a character is real” I mean that they FEEL real. They feel and act like a real person with real goals, fears, desires, and weaknesses. They are characters who feel like friends. Characters you root for, cry for, and rejoice with. When a character becomes real, they feel like a real person. You believe in them and what they do. You FEEL for them when they FEEL. You HURT when they HURT. You scream at them, cry for them, do a happy dance when something good happens, and you never forget them. The story may fade but the characters, like real people in your memory, stay. 

How does a character become real? 

As a writer this is crucial. You want to write characters who FEEL REAL. 

Every writer has their own process. Mine has evolved and gotten much better and simpler since writing my first book when the characters felt hard to find and understand until MANY outlines and drafts and revisions later. Now I have a process that lets my characters come to life fast. Every character is different and their growing into realness is different. 

Some characters are open and unfold fast before me, sharing their hopes, dreams, and desires for me to pen. 

Others are closed off and it takes time pulling at them and watching them grow a bit to see them come to life for me to write. 

Still others I think I know change drastically and I’m left wondering who this character is and how do I write them. 

Some characters are you while others are new. 

Some are open and trusting while others have built castles and moats around themselves blocking them up tight. 

One character is ready the moment you think of them. Another you wait days, weeks, months, years even before they open up to you. 

Writing characters isn’t the easiest thing. It can be challenging and disheartening when a character you love won’t let you write them. But push on dear writer. Don’t give up on them. Like people, they take time to trust, time to open up. Be patient and wait to see the magic that comes with patience. Trust me it will be worth it seeing their story unfold. Their story may become your favorite. Maybe it's the story YOU needed. Maybe it was YOU they were waiting on instead of us waiting on them?  

In my writing 

I love writing characters. It is my favorite part about writing (besides going into another world, weaving themes into stories, and ultimately shining a light I hope to glorify God in through my writing). 

Characters are so important. As I’m writing Broken Ballerina, I’m reminded of the characters you think you know but don’t. My main guy had a completely different story then the one I first envisioned. Letting him grow and struggle and HEAL gave this story so much more power and a greater theme and story. Sometimes it can be hard as a writer letting your characters go and grow on their own, but that can lead to the greatest of stories. So often I hear writers call their books their babies. I think the real thing writers should be talking about is their characters. Characters you love and create are now growing up and making their own decisions and making mistakes. It is a bit like being a parent watching your child grow. 

Or you can think of the first, the original, author. God has a story written for our lives greater than anything we can imagine. Still, he lets us work through our stories. He lets us make mistakes and grow. Still He is always there as a loving father. 

I FEEL LIKE I’VE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT GOD THROUGH WRITING. He, the original author, gave me the gift of storytelling. He gave me this shared gift with Him. He lets me see through my own writing how He works in people’s lives. He loves infinitely. He loves watching us grow and change for good. He is a loving Father. He does not abandon us. 

Discussion Time

Thank you for reading this blog post! I hope you liked this post about characters becoming real! Make sure to come back FRIDAY for part 2!!! Till next time, thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day! 

I want to hear from you! Meet me in the comments and tell me what you thought about this post! Who is one of your favorite characters & why? I would love to chat! 

If you have any questions or want to talk, make sure to comment down below! Be sure to subscribe to this blog to stay in the know because I post new content here every week. 

XOXO Moriyah 🤎