Most good stories are memorable because of their characters.
Most writerly how-to advice says to start with character.
I always had the themes
first. What is this about? Only then the “who is this about” seeped in.
Developing the characters
took care and deliberateness. The theme came naturally, the characters less so.
A few months ago,
an unusual character popped in, and I followed this character to the end of the
story.
One member of my critique group said, “Cute character, but
you need to develop the theme.”
Blasted bubblegum! My way of writing had changed.
Of course, it isn’t
either or. There’s more than one way. But for the first time I realize that no
matter how old I am or how long I’ve been at it, I, too, am a writerly
work-in-progress.
So the theme of
this post is change is eternal 😉
Writing is very much about what works for the individual. There's no right or wrong way to go about it.
ReplyDeleteYes, change is eternal. But it often isn't easy. I agree with what Kelly said.
ReplyDeleteindeed. this is exactly why i love this writing life.
ReplyDeleteAh, that's a lovely post. It can be healthy to make some changes.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
That's a good theme.
ReplyDeleteWhatever works! Sometimes a writer needs to use different techniques for different books.
ReplyDeleteFor novel #1, I started with plot, then filled in the characters that suited it. Theme came last.
For my WIP, I started with a main character, switched it to another character who would be more interesting, then theme, then plot.