Every now and then, a hilarious donation comes through the charity thrift store where I volunteer. This little gem happens to be half our male mannequin (dunno where his legs went) showing off a suit of chainmail and helm of old. I'm not sure who decided to set the legless model on a chair, but the result made my morning. He looks like he's growing out of a portal in the chair cushion.
Or the chair is the rest of his body, and he's some failed alchemy experiment. This is why I write books. Some of these musings are better left outside of actual conversations.
When it comes to writing characters, I'm still amazed at how easy it is to miss that extra depth. It doesn't matter how many times I've edited a book, I can overlook it when it's staring me in the face. I have a critique partner going through my recently completed novel, 3 Scoops of Integrity. With her help, I came to a realization: I missed a huge aspect of my own character's growth.
While my critique partner didn't mention this specific aspect, her comments led me to ponder them. The book is decent without this depth, but when I go back and explore this concept? It could be great. Is it worth the effort? Absolutely.
I enjoy the editing process. Several of my author friends call it their most hated part of the writing journey, but I love having these epiphanies with characters I thought I knew inside and out. The characters become more like real friends. We can't possibly know everything there is to know about even our best friends. Occasionally, we learn something that surprises us and brings us closer.
That's what striking these grand realizations does for me as an author. As if I'm in a conversation with a close friend, I can sit back and say to a character, "Wow, I never knew that about you. Tell me more." But I get to be the person figuring out the "more" details. Soon, my main character, Johnna, will grow legs under the surface of her chainmail armor, hah!
Still, it can be intimidating and a little discouraging to go back and tinker with a story I thought was near completion. It's a learning process, growing with these characters. I still enjoy the journey. After I finish (and someday publish) the book, I'll be overjoyed that I took the time to round out Johnna's journey.
My other characters will have to wait in line. As much as I want to go back and give another of my beloved books a similar character level-up, it's Johnna's turn in the spotlight. She could be on her way to being the protagonist of my first traditionally published novel. Time will tell. I'm going to do my best to get her there.
Keep on smilin'!
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