Victoria KimbleConfession: I’ve spent a lot of my life imagining what it would be like if I were actually friends with characters in books. I’m an introvert, and it’s pretty hard for us introverts to make friends. We don’t like to bother people, so we’re not usually the ones to start a conversation with people we don’t know. Sometimes it can take a long time and a lot of different meet ups before we feel comfortable enough to get to know someone.
But funny enough, it is easy to make friends with characters in books. It’s like you’re already invited into their story and their life. There are no awkward moments, where you’re worried about if you said the right thing, or if you’re bothering them. It’s like they already know that they want you to be a part of their lives.
My favorite part of writing is coming up with new characters. Sometimes when I’m not sure where the story is going, I just think about the character and what their life is like. I like to think of what they like and dislike, and maybe about what happened to them when they were younger, or how they would react if a certain situation happened to them. And then it’s like a light comes on, and I see where they would go in the story I’m writing.
So far, I’ve written about four girls. In Soprano Trouble, Summer McKidd is a middle child, stuck between two sisters. I can totally relate to that, because I was a middle child, stuck between two sisters. In Alto Secrets, Maddie Ryland is the youngest with two older brothers. She loves sports and is really confident. I can’t identify with that, but she is someone I just know I would be friends with. In Harmony Blues, Brittany Welsh is an only child who gets surprising news about a new sibling. I know how she feels, because my family changed when I was 12 too. Brittany and I share a love of cats. And in Solo Disaster, Cammie Dunn is an only child who is not afraid of making friends. I admire her ability to seek out and pursue new friendships.
What kind of characters are your favorites to read? Do you like to read about characters who make you say, “Me too!!” or do you like to read about characters who are the complete opposite of you? Have you ever read a book and thought “that character and I would be friends?” Which book (or character) was it? Let me know! I’ll read it and see if I could be friends with them too.
Michelle Kaderly Welsh
Tracy Popolizio
Candice Yamnitz
Love this. Making up people is one of the coolest things about writing. You did a great job with the 4 girls in your series. All unique characters.
Thank you so much Sharon!
The best books are the ones that–months after reading them–you find yourself telling someone, “I know a girl who…” then you stop and remember she was a character in a book, not your life. I guess that makes the books part of your life. Hmm.
When I was in college, a friend and I were discussing a wedding in detail. A third friend of ours listened in for awhile, and then lectured us when she realized we were talking about two characters in a book. 🙂 It happens.