Who’s Writing This Story Anyway?

2011-03-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard writers say that, at some point in the writing of a story, the characters took over and wrote the story for them. Whenever I hear this, it conjures up for me an image of someone sitting at a computer in a trance, typing away, no longer as author but rather merely as the channel through which their fictional characters dictate their tale. I can’t say that I’ve ever had that happen to me. I would gladly let my characters write my stories for me. I could take more naps.

But what I have experienced when writing fiction is this: At some point during the creative process the characters take control of the outcome of the story. Here’s what I mean. When you set out to write a story, you create the characters you need to act out that story, and you give each character a specific role to play in the story. And each of those characters has to act and think and feel in a way that fulfills their particular role. Now, it’s your job as author to give the characters the motivation they need to act and think and feel in the way that fulfills their role in the story. Once you’ve done that—once you’ve given the characters the motivation to act and think and feel in a certain way—then the direction the story is going to take is pretty much determined. That’s the point at which the characters essentially take control of the story. Because at that point they’re obligated to act according to the motivation you’ve given them. And if you then decide that you want to take the story in a different direction, you’re going to have to go back and change your characters’ motivations.

It’s not quite the same as the characters writing the story for you. It’s more like having your children behave a certain way because that’s how you raised them.

Tell me what your experience has been in this regard.

What inspired you to write your novel TAMARA'S CHILD?

2010-12-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

What inspired me to write TAMARA’S CHILD was my work with young people, particularly troubled kids. When I started writing this novel, it was during the time I was working as the in-school-suspension supervisor at our local high school. I had regular contact with troubled kids, at-risk kids—at risk of dropping out of school, at risk of being abused, at risk of getting into trouble with the law. So when I was looking for a subject for this novel, it seemed only natural that I would write about this at-risk population, these kids who were struggling with life—not just with school—but with life in general.

Because, really, that’s what stories are about—dramatic stories anyway. They’re about characters struggling to overcome obstacles in order to achieve a goal or solve a problem. And who in life has more obstacles to overcome than a pregnant teenager? I had interacted with a few pregnant teenagers during my time at the high school—not that many. But their situation moved me—the difficulties I knew they were facing, even if they didn’t. I had great empathy for their plight. That’s how I came to Tamara Ames, a pregnant sixteen-year-old as my protagonist. And, believe me, she has to overcome some major obstacles while struggling to achieve her goals.

bk mayo.author

Who’s Writing This Story Anyway?

What inspired you to write your novel TAMARA'S CHILD?