Obsession

"Moderation in all things."

That's my mom's favorite piece of advice, and wise words they are. There's just one problem. While I can attempt to balance all aspects of my life, one seems to outweigh all others even still. And, it's not just writing. No. It's the characters in my writing.

To me, the most enjoyable process of storytelling is the slow unveiling of a character's mystery. Creating entire lifetimes for people in whole new worlds; creating means by which they feel the way they do. It's a beautiful thing, creation.

I love to take aspects of myself, and others around me, and blend them into characters; good and bad traits alike. I love to balance a character; give them meaningful reasons for the way they are. While I believe in a true good and evil, I also believe that in this life there are shades of gray. Occassionally I create solid black or white motives, but most often I try to give each character a solid, sympathetic reason behind their actions. It makes the story more alive, more believeable, more inspiring.

Can you tell I'm obsessed? Moderation be hanged (not really). I will create new characters forever!

I love my characters. They are my children, and I love them. Mostly, I love to torment them.