Characters and Heart Strings

[cathschaffstump]

I know, I know. I’m not supposed to be here, so I’ll keep it brief.

When you write, do you become so involved with your characters that you feel them? You become them, you carry their sorrows and joys, you don’t want to leave them at the end of the day?

Not all the time, but during those projects when I seem to have a tie to the characters, then I am most alive. Revising Substance yet again, and putting the characters’ voices back in this draft hearkens back to when it first came to me. I’m not in love, exactly. I feel full of light and full of tears, even at the same time.

I write for myself mostly, it’s true. But I feel so soulful as I write this book and return it to its former self that I truly, truly hope I can share it with all of you some day.

My schmaltz on your friends list, I remain,

Catherine

Originally published at Writer Tamago. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

hmmm...i feel liek that when I read sometimes. when i' mreally in a story lie khe way i am right now witha particular trilogy.
and fro mwhat i've read by now it might very well happen with your book too. wow. I hope it gets onto the shelves one day.

[redcrowkater.livejournal.com]

I can consistently make myself cry by thinking about my character's unrequited love (or so she thinks) for the man she meets after her husband dies.

He's my total fantasy guy: gorgeous, otherworldly, powerful, and socialized to believe it's his duty to be the perfect manservant and housekeeper for the one he chooses. Sigh.

[sonyamsipes.livejournal.com]

I do get awfully involved. The most heart-wrenching pieces that I have written -- I was crying as I wrote them. The same goes with the silly laughing spots, too.

As for your book... however did you come to stripping it bare in the first place? Then how did you convince your agent to let you put the 'sould' back in?

[cathschaffstump.livejournal.com]

The first potential agent I rewrote Substance for wanted me to remove a lot of the thinky interior stuff, and firm up the action. She wanted it simplified for a younger audience.

We tried that, and it didn't sell. I thought it was more commercial, so this is how I've been sending it around.

The second potential agent who has asked for a rewrite wants me to add more to the rich interior life of the characters, and flesh things out a bit more. Luckily, I kept many of the bits around before.

Just to set the record straight, I don't have an agent yet. I hope this rewrite might get me one, which is why I'm doing it simultaneously with Hulk Hercules.

I didn't get the agent to do anything. He asked me to wander down this road. See this post for more detail.

http://cathschaffstump.livejournal.com/101150.html

When that letter came, I was very happy and hopeful. Even if I don't get this agent, he at least gets the book.

Catherine

[kizmet-42.livejournal.com]

Madeleine L'Engle said she couldn't not write, it was the expression of her heart.

I can't remember the exact quote (or the source, I suspect one of her journals) but I think she spoke for both of us.

I hope for good news from potential-agent very soon.

[ashavah]

Yes. I often feel like that when I'm writing.