A woman waking from a nightmare fills my vision. What the...? Who is she? Wanting to know who this character is and what was going on with her, I begin to write.
That's the sort of writer I am. I see characters, learn a little about them and then my stories start. What sort of writer are you? Do you see characters, too, and have them at the start your story?
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| Image courtesy of: www.giphy.com |
If you're a Regency Romance writer, perhaps you see a landed gentleman, too arrogant and proud. And a young girl of good family prone to judging at first impression.
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| Image courtesy of: www.giphy.com |
If you write contemporary romance novels, maybe you imagine a travel book shop owner failing to make a success of his business meeting an actress succeeding in every movie part she portrays.
Are you a writer who visualises a setting? It may be a place that exists in reality or one that exists only in your imagination, but you imagine that setting and a story sparks to life.
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| Avesbury Village. Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org |
If Cozy Mysteries are your focus you may visit an English village and wonder about the secrets hidden behind closed doors and who of the residents would commit murder.
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| Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org. Source: John Martin |
If you write Paranormal Romance, maybe you see a fantasy world and you wonder about the mythical being and the human with preternatural abilities.
Maybe it's action or a conflict, the setting up of the plot, that takes place on your first page. You know who your characters are and what they will do in the situation they find themselves in, and what they will do next.
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If you're genre is Historical Romance and you love time-travel drama, you may visualise a married World War II nurse carried back in time to the Jacobite risings in 1743 Scotland and into the arms of Jamie Fraser, rebel Scottish Highlander.
Writers are all different and from talking to some and reading about others I learned there is no right way to start. Whether it's with character, setting or action plot is your choice. And it's these different choices that make each writer stories unique.
How do you write? What do you introduce first? Character, setting or action?
Love to love...how amazing imagination can be.
Love to laugh...when my imagination takes off on tangents at once unexpected yet so right!
Love to learn...how other writers write.
Definitely character first for me for all my books so far. I'll see a scene and my head and like you questions arise and the story takes shape.
ReplyDeleteHi Cassandra. I do love it when that happens. So unexpected and so amazing!
ReplyDeleteHi Enisa! For my books, I envisage characters first, with setting a close second. For me, the plot evolves from character plus setting plus my imagination. The plot aspect is what's happening for me at the moment with my wip. So much fun (and a heap of research!).
ReplyDeleteHi Marilyn. Characters first seems to be the way for most authors, I discovered. And, yes, the plot happens because of the characters. Love that!
DeleteI love the way different writers start from different places, like characters, or a scene. Everyone's brain works differently, so I guess that's very normal! Then it goes exponentially from there into a whole new book, what fun. Sometimes when I'm reading a book it goes in a direction I had no idea it might go, so it's great to follow along that path. Sometimes I think - well, if *I'd* written this book I'd have done *this* instead. We're all different, vive le difference! (La difference?!)
ReplyDeleteHi Miranda. Differences are what makes books so intriguing. There's always something new to discover.
ReplyDeleteHi Enisa, I’ve started writing from an imagined scene. I’ve also begun with a setting, and waited for my characters to enter it. Either way is so much fun.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon. So many different ways to start our stories. It's great, isn't it?
DeleteHi Enisa,
ReplyDeleteIsn’t writing exciting?
A mix of characters or scenes have driven different books for me. In Knight if Her Heart, a scene came to mind first. When I wrote The Irredeemable Prince, I planted Matilda - a flip, zany, somewhat disorganised character in that story intending that she would be the love interest for the serious and burdened King Gabriel in Book 3 of the Royal Affairs series. Yet, when I sat to write The Formidable King, Matilda would not be written. Another heroine “appeared” and “insisted” she should be the one for King Gabriel. I loved that character, India, who had such an interesting back story and I “promised her” I’d write her story ASAP but was sure she wasn’t who the king needed. In the end, India won! She was right and was exactly who Gabriel needed. Go figure! Do you sometimes feel as though we authors merely channel the characters’ stories? 😉
Hi Alison. Writing is not just exciting, it's amazing! I can relate to your struggle with characters. With my current heroine, I imagined her a particular way with a name I chose but everything I wrote felt more forced than 'right', so I let her tell me who she was. Different name, different personality. And the writing flows naturally now. And that's a perfect example of me being the channel for my characters! I do very much believe that!
DeleteHi Enisa, I usually start my stories with characters and a meet-cute idea. Mind you, i'm currently writing a Christmas story that was inspired by seeing an elderly lady dressed in a Christmas elf outfit riding a motorbike. That visual just wouldn't leave me alone! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jayne. She sounds a delightful sight. Would make a terrific story. And yes, sometimes characters do come from seeing something that sparks an idea.
ReplyDeleteLovely post Enisa. Thank you. You made me think about how I begin. As cozies are plot driven, I think I see situation first: a long-lost relative who suddenly turns up out of the blue, for example - and then wonder what it could all be about. It's fascinating how we all arrive at our story destinations via different modes of transport. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Kaz. How wonderful that I helped you see how you begin your stories. Always a plus knowing how we write.
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