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Life of a Writer Mom Column February 2004 Column Taking a Walk with My Characters by Carla Charter I'm one of those author's who walks on the edge without a net. Yes, I'm guilty. I don't outline before I write my books. Now don't get me wrong. I do have a general idea of where the story is going. And writing historical fiction, I do make a timeline of historical events and dates. But to work out the every detail, every in and out, well I leave that to my characters. I think an author, (don't ask me which one) put my system of writing perfectly. Of his story planning he said, "I put my characters on the page and take a walk with them." And as far as I'm concerned we often walk to places far more interesting than I could ever have thought up in an outline. Take Twin Springs Whispers for instance. It started out in my mind as a simple love story set during King Phillip's War. Really it did! Then my characters took over the telling of the tale. Suddenly the story took on a whole new meaning and depth that I never expected. Themes of tolerance and the question of what constitutes a family became intertwined in this simple tale, making it all the richer and more interesting. Then there's my new project. Pest House, based on a New England flu epidemic in the early 1900's. I had the premise of the story but didn't know where to start. Then along came one of my main characters. Gable Spaulding. I liked him from the start and knew he just belonged in this book. The minute I wrote his name, I knew that this was a dark character, a brooding character, a man with issues. Not quite sure what issues yet, but I'm sure I'll discover them as Gable and I spend the next few months together and he tells me his tale. And once again, I discover the joy of listening to my characters and letting them lead me where they will. Carla Charter is mom to Samantha (12), Halden (5), and Mathew (4). In addition to being a mom, Carla is a freelance writer specializing in newspaper and magazine journalism. Among her publication credits are Woman's World, American Indian Report and New England Business Journal. Online she has been published in Scubasource.com and Military.com. She teaches creative writing courses at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Ma. Recently her novel Across Lots has been serialized at http://www.newenglandwow.com. She may be reached at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net. |
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