tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post2375981152901268972..comments2023-11-02T02:40:48.410-07:00Comments on Crime Fiction Collective: Sometimes I know more than I think I knowL.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-35764998520172820882014-02-27T15:20:13.179-08:002014-02-27T15:20:13.179-08:00There's no local chapter in Denver either, whi...There's no local chapter in Denver either, which surprises me. And no, I'm not going to start one. Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-24384653945656364772014-02-27T15:18:26.319-08:002014-02-27T15:18:26.319-08:00HA HA Peg you crack me up! Dennis was super fun (s...HA HA Peg you crack me up! Dennis was super fun (so was Sheila). I think we all have those dark places we can access in our writing, but they are just one piece of a whole person.Gayle Carlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783449240138097315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-46924645575758778472014-02-27T15:16:56.425-08:002014-02-27T15:16:56.425-08:00I could suggest that you form a group in your area...I could suggest that you form a group in your area, but I'm afraid you'd lob something at me. LOL!Gayle Carlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783449240138097315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-56378366812127710312014-02-27T15:14:32.581-08:002014-02-27T15:14:32.581-08:00I think it's hard to keep our own personalitie...I think it's hard to keep our own personalities out of the mix, but it can be done. It's part of why I love to write - to see what I can make words do on a page!Gayle Carlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783449240138097315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-83713883372802135262014-02-27T14:48:01.350-08:002014-02-27T14:48:01.350-08:00Okay, that reads a little weird. I was and remain ...Okay, that reads a little weird. I was and remain grateful to Dennis for endorsing my book. Sheesh, Peg. Get a grip.Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-77844069647725441392014-02-27T14:46:17.001-08:002014-02-27T14:46:17.001-08:00My last book, THE SACRIFICE (gratefully endorsed b...My last book, THE SACRIFICE (gratefully endorsed by Dennis, by the way), has a primary character who lives with profound depression. Since that is something I've never experienced, I sought out advice and direction from professionals. Almost everything else, I'm a little afraid to say, are pieces within me I feel I can access with relative ease. Even the bad stuff.Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-6416064678947728122014-02-27T11:19:27.132-08:002014-02-27T11:19:27.132-08:00Thanks for a great post! I wish my nearest Sisters...Thanks for a great post! I wish my nearest Sisters in Crime chapter was closer than Portland. <br /><br />I dig into my own emotional background for my characters because I've been through so many things! (Including a near-death experience from an assault.) If I need to explore feelings and experiences I haven't had, I reach out to my network of friends, readers, and experts. L.J. Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-31152796989405088122014-02-27T06:09:40.772-08:002014-02-27T06:09:40.772-08:00What an interesting and timely topic Gayle! I had ...What an interesting and timely topic Gayle! I had been thinking about something similar for the last two weeks :)<br /><br />I don't deliberately try to weave my own characteristics and experiences in my characters, but I think it's human nature to unconsciously do a little bit of that as our life experiences have made us the writers that we are today. I know a few friends have commented on one of my previous (unpublished) work and said they could totally "hear" my voice when they read the main protagonist's dialogue. In fact, one person even said that Lucas Soul, protagonist of Soul Meaning, had my dry sense of humor. <br /><br />I've never gone through the experiences I've put my characters through.<br />The place I turn for insight when I'm writing someone completely alien to me is the movie industry. My inspiration very often comes from memorable movie characters that stand out to me as being the closest to the one I'm writing about. I am a very "visual" writer that way and I use a lot of imagery when I'm plotting, from pictures of actors who have the physical attributes of my MCs, to locations and weapons. I'm using Scrivener for the first time this year and being able to use the images in there is fantastic. <br /><br />The thought that has been occupying my mind in the last fortnight and kind of touches on your topic is this: can I deliberately make one of my protagonists do something which I would deem illogical, and quite frankly stupid, just to create tension? The most classical example that comes to my mind is that first act from the movie "Scream", when the girl goes to open the front door despite having received a strange, threatening phone call, a scene that has been emulated in countless horror films. I'm sure many of us shouted abuse at the screen involving variations of the word "idiot". <br /><br />I haven't been able to "make" any of my protagonists do anything "stupid" yet. Sure, they've been outsmarted by the bad guys a lot but not because they were idiots. <br /><br />Does our personality determine how we make our characters act?<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17450470829315838666noreply@blogger.com