May 29
Characters make the story
I am always asked where I get my ideas for a novel. For me it is simple: characters. For instance, in my short story Playing Beethoven, the character Mac is confronted at an early age with discrimination. Something I saw on television triggered a memory I had of my grandmother and her prejudices. Although her name wasn’t Sarah, a young Jewish girl lived down the street from my grandmother and one weekend I did visit her home. It hurt when I remember how my grandmother reacted to me playing with this young Jewish girl.
I had an idea, but I had no story. What I did have is two characters.
I kept mulling this idea over in my mind, but I still didn’t know where I was going with it until a friend called me. The minute I heard her squawky voice over the phone I cringed. She is a nice person, but her voice can be irritating. By the time I’d hung up the phone, the opening scene where Sarah approaches Mac as he puts on his roller skates was rolling around in my head. I immediately started writing. Did I have a story? No, but I knew that the characters would help me develop the story. They would tell me what was going to happen—and they did.
Every time I get an idea for a story it falters and eventually dies. I can’t write and let the plot carry the story. I have to rely on my characters.
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DAVID’S BLOG
- Untitled May 3, 2013My latest novel will be out in June. In her late fifties and recently divorced, Olivia Kennedy Kimsey is confronted with no money, a rebellious daughter and reoccurring dreams from a recently murdered young woman named Vickie Taylor. As she investigates Vickie's death, she discovers four other women who have disappeared after joining the cougar dating […]David Hooper
David M Hooper
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The Possessor
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Tanglewood Road
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Great post, David. You never know where those good ideas are going to come from. I once wrote an entire book from the title, MIND ECHOES. It’s the story of a female house call veterinarian who communicates with animals telepathically to help a police detective solve crimes. It was a fun, fun books to write.
May I make a small suggestion? Can you put your posts in a darker type? This one was hard to read.
Thanks for the tip. Changed it today so it is easier to read.
Your post made me smile! It’s that character driven aspect that makes me so enjoy your work. Now all is revealed!
Jenny