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Did you have an imaginary friend when you were growing up?

Yeah, I missed that boat.

But it's okay because as an adult, I've got tons of imaginary friends : )

No, I'm not insane, I am  {...the words within this parenthesis represent one long dramatic pause that continues until we both begin to feel the slightest bit uncomfortable...} a writer.

Excuse my need for intense drama- I've been watching a lot of Spielberg movies lately- sorry.

What I mean is, when I'm writing a story, the characters I'm writing about become so realistic I actually start to care about what happens to them as if they're real people.

BUT, sometimes I'm afraid that no matter how real my characters are to me, it doesn't come across in my writing.

In other words, I fear I might be an exceptional daydreamer and a terrible writer.

Hmm...

If I am, at the moment, somewhat of a talentless hack, that's OK because I can get better : )

Annnnnd I think I've found one way of making my characters as real to readers as they are to me.

Why, what is this epic stroke of genius I've had? (insert evil laughter here)

It's called the Jung-Meyers personality test!

This morning, I took the test as if I were the main character in the manuscript I'm currently editing and wow...this test gave me unbelievable insight into her quirks and, most importantly, why she thinks the way she does.

Of course, by the time I'd completed my manuscript I'd already given her a back story and I thought I knew all there was to know about her.

Wrong, wrong wrong...if I don't even completely understand myself, how could I have thought I knew everything about my MC?

The first time I took this personality test (as myself) a couple of years ago, it sort of made me cry because I realized a lot about myself that I didn't know before.

So, you can imagine how much insight it shed on my MC.

What are some ways that you've gotten to know your MC and, in the end, made them easier for readers to relate to/connect with?

Thanks for stopping by to read these words that I...wrote (wow, that was eloquent was it not?).

Anywayz, have a lovely day : )

-Paula








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