All Consuming

I have found if one is not careful one will lose themselves to their writing. My writing has consumed my life. I think about my charterers all the time, what will happen next in their lives how do I tie this person with that person. Something happens around me and I think, "that would be great in this story", or "that sounds so much like that charterer". Though rather than think 'that charterer' like most people I actually think of the person's name as if I'm thinking of a living, breathing person. Part of me is so excited by this. If my people are so real to me then they would have to be real to my reader. However part of me wonders if I am too attached to my books, I wonder if it's healthy for me to constantly think of these people I have created.

I find myself talking to my friends at work about my charterers as if they are people, friends of mine that did something funny or interesting the other day. I don't think of them as someone I have created and that I rule their lives like some God dictating where their story will go. Many times my people tell me where they want to go. Tell tell me when there is too much going on in their life and I need to cut out the drama. They direct my words as I write them on the page. Some times I have a clear view of where I want this story to go and I am determined to see it to that end. Then after writing for an hour or two I look back at what I've written and see that not only did it not go the way I demanded it to go it went a completely different way that I had not thought of before it showed up on the page. Sometimes I amaze myself by what is going on inside my head. Being able to find so many people, and personalities and to never get them mixed together, not to mention each person has their own way of doing things. Their own looks and problems that they have to over come. In one of my series I have to keep track of dozens of powers that the charterers may or may not possess.

Someone asked me the other day if I ever confuse my story's or put the charterers in the wrong book and I don't. Each person goes with a specific book. No one person would be able to meld themselves into another book without me noticing they did not belong there. Even when I dream never has one story merged with another to make a confusing mess, as far as I can remember. Each person knows their place and does not try to impede on any other story. For which I am grateful because I don't know if I could keep them straight if they decided to mix with each other in my mind.

Sometimes I find that I have spent hours in my room writing my books and I had not noticed the time until my husband walks through the door home from his day at work or meeting. I am very grateful that I have him and that I spend time with him forcing myself away from my charterers for a time. It's healthy to let them sit for a bit and when I come back to them it is like the story had kept going and I need to catch up. The writing flows so easily as if they are wanting to tell me what happened while I was away. I don't mind I enjoy when I get so involved I'm not ever sure what I wrote until I go back to edit. It makes the story interesting for me to just let the words pour out of me and read it after as if it's a new book that someone else has written. I also love comparing where I thought the story should have gone to what actually was written down. Usually what was written is much better than what I had thought of before hand.