Listen To The Whispers

Sometimes I hear things. Sometimes my characters talk to me. They tell me all sorts of things.
Okay. That's. Probably a bad way to start this post. Well, screw it. Okay, pretend I don't have a giant creepy smile on my face right now.
Honestly, when you're writing a story or even just thinking about working on one, sometimes while you're sitting around, you might hear a whisper. It starts like a scratching at the door, almost too low to hear, but if you're willing to close your eyes, and let yourself listen... to empty your mind, and just let what's inside speak... you might be surprised at what you hear.
I mean, yes, I'm not. I'm not psychotic enough to say 'the Horses of Heaven are speaking to me through my writing!' or 'my characters are real!' but I do hear them. I even have conversations with them, or sometimes get a little into character and start muttering to myself in their voice. Not really their voice, I'm awful at changing my voice, but... I talk to myself using their dialogue, their word choices, let myself fall into their character. Then Luna makes fun of me or just sits behind me and listens to me until I notice her and it's... it's all really awkward.
Anyway. If you're willing to listen, and ignore that other little voice in your head that will call you a crazy idiot, you can hear some really interesting things. You might even learn a few things about your characters. Sure, some of it is useless trivia, like their favorite color... or is that useless? You can always put subtle little hints about that in your writing, like always having them wear a blue shirt or blue jacket or blue... you get it. Some of it really will be useless, sure, stuff that you can't exactly put in a story... but you can put that stuff into a character file, and it will help flesh out your character, give them a feeling of completeness. And it also serves as a building block. Say... I talk with this character in my head, uh... let's name him... Stallione. He likes martial arts. As I let him "talk" to me, his voice becomes more distinct in my mind. Maybe I hesitantly probe a few thoughts - never trying to direct, treating him the entire time as a separate entity (even while aware he isn't) - and ask him "well, why didn't you ever do it professionally?"
Maybe he doesn't have an answer. Or maybe he tells me a backstory for his character I never thought of consciously, but now that I've probed his character, in a burst of spontaneity, I hear "him" tell me: "Cause of when I got arrested, of course. No parent wants a felon teaching their kid martial arts."
Seriously, you might be surprised at what happens if you let your characters talk. And... I have a little saying that helps me summon up these characters, talk to them and hear them as if they're separate entities. And this saying is part of what has always let me write. Part of what's always kept me going, and kept me remembering... to treat other writers, too, with the respect they deserve. And why I get so mad at all the 'authors' out there who don't. I'm gonna end this post with it. And maybe it might not always make sense, but... it's always worked for me. And I like to think it's helped me a lot remember who I want to be in life, not someone like... my father, Bramblethorn, but... a better stallion than he ever was.

I am not the potter. I am the potter's clay.


~Scrivener Blooms