Xlibris author Jennifer Van Wie tells us more about her creative writing process in this Xlibris Blog sequel.
When I was writing the first book of the From Dust to Man series, my characters were so real to me that I dreamed about them. I’d laugh with them and cry with them. I am always thinking about them, but the most fun is when I let them write the book. Sure, I had a basic knowledge of my plot and yes, I started out with my main character but each night I couldn’t wait until they took me on their journey. I would sit at the key board, which at that time was an IBM Typewriter and later a Tandy Computer in the early eighties, then lived vicariously through their escapades. At first I didn’t worry too much about form or style. I called it letting my characters breathe so they could venture in their own independent directions and would merely say OK, Dr. Suzanne Wright, what are we going to do tonight? And the ideas would flow and characters would be introduced to me, scenes would unfold, and I was amazed and extremely entertained. Sure there were times where I would reread what I wrote and say Suzanne this is really lame– this would never happen or let’s rethink this scenario, and off we would go again in another direction. Dr. Suzanne Wright is a scientist—smart, innovative and a realist. She introduced me to her grandmother Dr. Margret Wright, a no-nonsense archaeologist who told her about the fall of man. She introduced me to JJ6, her trusted android that was like a mother to her and to Dr. Jane Crest, an animal behaviorist that would impact her world forever. I got to know her loveable but stupid cat Tessa and the Stern World Leader Saltearess and her cloned maniacal daughter Angelica. But it was Samoht that I found interesting because even though I have two children and knew how to raise a male, Suzanne didn’t have a clue. She struggled with how to raise him so he would find his true male personality without really knowing what a male was. I couldn’t help her. She had to find her own way.
So many characters that SHE introduced to the story flowed like water because she needed them. Yes, your characters need friends, family and allies and foes and if you allow them to create what they need, they will pluck them out of thin air and voila, they exist. It was fascinating to experience characters come to life before my very eyes from some unknown region of inspiration. One minute they don’t exist and the next minute you find yourself worrying about them, loving them, or hating them. It was like living in two worlds, my real life and another parallel universe of imagination. Sound a bit crazy? Certainly I concede that it is a possibility. It didn’t really matter though because I wasn’t writing to be published. I was writing for my enjoyment so what went on in my head was a lone pursuit and if it was insanity, well . . . so be it.
Jennifer has more creative insights in store for us in the third sequel of her blog contribution.
Read the first part of her blog here.
Visit the Xlibris Indie Authors Roundup to get inspiration from other featured Xlibris authors. Plus, enhance your knowledge in writing, editing, and book marketing with tips from the Xlibris Writer’s Workshop.