“How many characters have you created?” … that was the question that was put to me recently.
And the answer?… I have no idea!
I have heard that there are authors out there who keep strict records of all their characters.
This author has scribbled notes on scraps of paper or post its stuffed into polypockets in the notebooks she has filled…. truth!
I do have a nice teal leather journal where I jot down potential character names and character traits or potential fictitious band names so perhaps there is a glimmer of hope. LOL
The question got me thinking about the various characters I’ve created over the past ten years or more. (If I go back far enough, its nearly 40 years for some aspects of Jake and Lori.)
I love the central characters on my book babies. The more I write about them and develop them, the more I begin to think about them as “real” people. As a writer, you spend as much time in your head with this “fictional family” as you do with your real family…sometimes more. Through time, thy take on personalities all of their own.
But what other minor characters have stuck with me?
The first to spring to mind is Reuben (Ben) Storm who made an appearance around Christmas 2018 in a short story I titled, A Party Dress, An Ugly Sweater And A Christmas Surprise. Every now and then I think fondly of him and wonder what story he has to tell. There may be another outing for him one day…time will tell.
My dark angel, Anna, from my serialised vampire fiction Silently Watching is another favourite. It’s over nine years since I created her and began setting her free around various full moons. Like Reuben Storm, I feel she has a back story to tell us. Writing the Silently Watching instalments is always fun.
Thinking about minor characters in my book babies who have stolen my heart, Nana from Ellen is a standout. I love that little old lady!
Eden Friend, from Long Shadows, the final instalment of my Silver Lake series, is an intriguing young lady. I don’t want to give away any spoilers in case some Silver Lake lovers haven’t met her yet but she’s another one who could have more to say in due course.
The dark characters who were fun to write were Nicole Tonriverdi and Salazar Mendes, both from the Silver Lake series. Ms Tonriverdi may have had her day but with the right story, Sal’s past could be explored one day.
The more I pause to think about these characters, the more ideas are forming a queue in my imagination!
At the end of the day, no matter how many “people” I create, I’ll always be grateful to Lori Hyde and Jake Power for the creative path they set me on. Both of those characters had lived in my imagination for a very long time before I found the confidence to put pen to paper and set them free. Thank you will never seem enough to say to them.
I am currently working on Book Baby 8. There will be more news about it in due course and hopefully 2024 will see me share these characters with you. Time will tell…
Coral McCallum 