Been struggling lately with the ultimate purpose of two of my most beloved characters. By struggling, I don’t mean that they don’t have purpose…it’s more that I’m having a difficult time deciding which aspects of them to focus on in R+S**,what sort of purpose do they serve in the lives of the main characters, how much of their backstory to divulge, etc. etc.

To discover this, I’m scribbling out little test scenes with them, trying them in new scenarios, talking to people they’ve never talked to before, just to see if their voices sound right. It’s also a great way to find new ideas. I have a very fortune-cookie-like habit of finding my best ideas in the act of writing itself. Kind of like plot points are embedded in the lead inside my pencil, and the only way to get it out is to run it across paper.

At the moment I’m looking at taking Meredith down a path I normally wouldn’t consider – one that leaves her uncertain. Gohei is more difficult. There are so many different ways he can serve the greater purpose of the story, I’m having a terrible time deciding which capacity best suits him, and which capacities should be left for other characters to fill. I keep trying to hand him too many roles, then get frustrated when they don’t coalesce. And of course things stay in flux as I continue tweaking the projected paths of my kids – especially Jul.

Tonight I finally get to read Dane’s rough draft. I’m really looking forward to it, and it’s my expectation that it’ll give me more fuel than anything else could. I hope I can give him the feedback he’s looking for.

** see tag legend sticky post here