(My Thanks to Melanie Brown for asking the question that sparked this blog)

I feel like all good writers form a strong connection to our characters. We create them so they are our children. It’s very tempting to try to take over their lives so that we can live vicariously through them. Like all good parents we must give our children the freedom to make their own choices and make their own mistakes. We want the best for them and it’s hard to let them learn the hard way. But in being their own selves they can find their uniqueness.

When the creative process for our character goes right, it’s natural to be jealous of all the new and different things that they get to do and achieve. That is also aided by the fact that we gave them their values and start in life, guiding them before they grow into being capable of deciding for themselves. When our characters grow beyond merely being the sum of their parts and obtain uniqueness, we can be really pleased that we gave them their start in life. We can rejoice that we are fantastic writers.