From Twitter 06-10-2010

• 07:03:30: Morning new followers! Once again, I am not Naomi Clark from Beverly Hills 90210
  
• 08:40:02: @janjonesauthor Damn! Another wasted marketing opportunity!
  
• 09:28:01: @siansa Ah, read and loved that story! I think my opening scene is important, but I can't shake the feeling I should start with an explosion
  

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Writing Meme Day 9 - I am your god!

9. How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.

Oh hell, I'm far too tired to think straight today. Had a really late finish to my writers' group meeting because we got into a debate about the importance of religion in eleventh century England, and then another debate about the importance of strong characterisation, which I guess kind of ties into this question. I won't rehash the debate though, since it was mostly everyone going "no, you're doing it wrong!"

Anyway. The simple answer is, I don't really know. I'm very much an organic writer who rarely plots much beyond the next paragraph. The best way I can describe my character creation process is "it's like the Big Bang." A few random elements come together, explode, and the end result is a character. It could be a name, a trait, an ability, a home city, anything. Sometimes they will just spring fully-formed into my head, like Lizzie from Wild, who absolutely appeared in my imagination as a fully-fleshed out person complete with history, mannerisms, problems, tastes in music, lifestyle and drug habit already in place.

And sometimes I'll struggle to get a grip on them because I can't find the right name. Yeah, I'd say the name is usually the key thing for me. If a name doesn't come to me immediately, I will struggle to understand or picture the character until I find the right one.

( Questions under the cut )