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

Oh boy.

I don’t sit down and make lengthy sheets about my characters likes/dislikes. I’ve tried it. It doesn’t work. They feel forced.

I create my characters through discovery. I write them and write them, putting them in different situations. Sometimes I write their thoughts, their feelings. After I’ve gotten a sense of them, I feel that I can develop their histories.

I can’t force personality traits onto them. My character Pryce was supposed to be a real jerk, turns out he’s probably the sweetest character I’ve created–Griffin, my take on the Invisible Man, is the jerk. The two of them are a blast to write together.

They adapt, too, based on their experiences. Which is great for me. I’m always learning something new about them.

After I’ve worked with them for a while, I can play with what they represent, etc. This part is fun…I’m having a blast playing with the idea of a pliant mind versus a immovable one.