Characters

Posted by Simon on 18th, November 2009 at 08:21:34

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I'm always happy to answer questions about the tvdetective books - or try to, at least. 

An interesting one has just come through - how well do I think I know my characters?

The answer is very well indeed.  I could tell you what Dan and Adam, for example, would think or do in any given situation.  They've become as real and familiar as old friends to me.

For example, here's an odd thing - if I'm sent to cover a story, I'll often have a quiet chat with Dan on the way about how best to report it.  Likewise, when I'm dealing with a crime, I'm quite likely to have a discussion with Adam about who might have committed it, and why.

And here's something even odder.  It's occasionally the case in the books that one of the characters will do something that surprises me.  I won't have planned for it, but they'll go off and decide to act in a way I don't expect anyway. 

I find Adam is the most common culprit for this.  He can be strangely unpredictable.

When it first happened, I worried about it.  How can my characters possibly do something I don't expect?  I'm supposed to be in charge here, after all!

Then I learnt to relax about it, and this is the reason.  I now feel the characters live for me, and that has to be right.  Because if they don't live for me, if I don't really believe in them, they'll never live for you.

Told you it was a good question!  I just hope that was a reasonable - and not too insane - answer.

If anyone else has a question about the tvdetective books, you're very welcome to submit it.  Go to the contacts page of the site - www.thetvdetective.com/contact.html - and I'll do my best to answer.

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