Helen (heleninwales) wrote,
Helen
heleninwales
  • Mood: relaxed

Characters developing a life of their own

I still have no idea why some walk-on characters just trundle on, say their lines then depart while others come to life and immediately start trying to enlarge their role. I've heard many writers, both established and new to the game say the same thing happens to them, so it must be some quirk of the creative process.

Anyway, one turned up last night. The butcher's delivery boy had had a passing mention (as being the person who first noticed that the old warden was missing), and as far as I knew that was it and he was never going to do anything other than deliver sausages, bacon and scrag end of neck to the hostel. But I was thinking of the next scene and I needed a character to deliver the rumour that the mountain is not only to be sold, but it is to be moved elsewhere by the new owner. A fleeting thought strayed in his direction. Yes, he would make sense, he'd pick up news on his round and suddenly PING! he'd lit up solid, a definite personality, a chirpy lad with his smart little pony and trap. And then, by accident, G gave him a name, Nodwin (Nod for short) and so now he's a definite fixture and I'll have to watch him or he'll be wanting subplots and goodness knows what else.
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