Three easy steps to showing your character who's boss
Published: Thu, 07/03/14
When I first dreamed up Swithin Eliot, the would-be protagonist of my then unfinished novella, he was entirely mine. I would set aside four hours a day, call him to my side, and go about the work of committing him to the page. All of this was done according to my vision. Several months into the project, something happened: an imperceptible shift occurred and suddenly, I belonged to Swithin. From then on, he sat beside me at the office and whispered prose in my ear. He tugged on my sleeve during conversations, rested on my knee at meals, and followed me into the shower (shocking, I know). Swithin, unceasing and unshakable, refused me even a moment's peace and although my own creation, it felt those days like he held the cards. This character I once possessed had taken possession of me. Read the rest of my guest post over at Life As A Human Have you ever done battle with your characters? Let me know in the comments! Happy (almost) July 4th, Justine
Justine Tal Goldberg Owner, WriteByNight P.S. For all you Austinites out there, the next In Short Fiction Workshop takes place Saturday, August 23rd at the O. Henry Museum. Check out details of this unique offering here
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