Editor's Note: Expressing
Yourself
By Lazette Gifford
© 2006,
Lazette Gifford
Writing is a wonderful excuse to say all
the things you wouldn't say in real life -- to be rude, catty, and even
occasionally brilliant. We create characters to assume the qualities that
appeal to us in some ways, and even our villains are manifestations of what
we see as the worst qualities of being human. This is true even when the
villain isn't human -- we write creatures that we can relate to, for either
good or bad.
It's better than any role playing game
because you really do get to make the rules... but you have to live by those
rules during the book, too. And sometimes it's hard for a character to
continue to be brilliant, especially when the author isn't feeling
particularly bright that day.
But we have rewrites, the other part of
writing that makes it better than role playing, and sometimes better than
real life.
Writing is your chance to say it all,
though. Throw caution to the wind and use words you wouldn't say in real
life, and even let your characters explore the wild side.
So go on -- write some characters that
express everything you want to say and do. Live a little -- at least
vicariously. You may find that the characters are some of the more
interesting and fun to write ones that you've created. And you're readers
will enjoy them, too. |
