The sun sets on another day…
Ahh, sunset, a beautiful cascades of interlocking, well, gray. That was fun, but high above I knew the sky was beyond belief.
People ask me sometimes where my characters come from. I usually have to think about it. After all, there are a lot of characters now, and a lot of books. I have struggled sometimes to find that answer that seems to vex some people, and in the end I can say for sure, they are all names on paper.
Sure, some of my characters are based on pieces of real people, and some of my characters are based on me. Some are pure fiction, and some are similar to the everyman that walks along with us all. It is strange but sometimes fun when I tell people, “They are a lot of people”, because the are.
Making a character in a book allows you to take pieces of many people and meld them into a new person. As you do so, it becomes a new life, and believe it or not, often the character has a mind of its own as it solidifies in a story. I know Jonathon Michael Masterson did. When I first wrote him I expected him to leap off the page with anger and frustration, but as he developed he has more and more control, and a code that transcends the people I started with. The combination of different personalities created a character that was more.
Another character, Alan in the Masterson Files series, found life in the love for someone he could never have, then redefined himself when he found love in another. The end result was a complex personality that mirrored a love for both his two German Shepherds, and his love, Melody. The strong love of the dogs and understanding of how the world works intensified how he approached Melody, making him a talked about character.
I know, I am rattling, but I was thinking, once you start building with someone they are more than just names on paper, but still, they are names on paper too. An interesting dynamic, because it is all fiction.
So as the sun sets on another day, I hope you have a super night. As darkness falls, find a light. Be you always, and if you want to read my books, go to AndrewAllenSmith.com and enjoy a few. Have a super time always, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love life, and read…