Your Inner Child
I am working on a YA proposal about a 12-year-old girl. And the more I write from her POV, the more I love her. It's an amazing thing, as a writer, to "be" other people for a while. In this book, I get to tap into my inner child.
What do I like about her? Well, my character is poised between girlhood and adolescence. She's not yet a teen, she still has hope. After all the comments yesterday on the blog, what I realize I love is her lack of cynicism. The world is still tarnished and ugly around her, but it hasn't beaten her down. She still wishes on stars, still believes a tiny bit that the moon follows her at night, still believes in all things and all possibilities. Still believes God knows her name. That she is special.
She's a lot like me. In fact, all my YA heroines are. I still make snow angels, still sing too loud along with the radio, still believe in Santa Claus (I really do!). I still think saving once child at a time can change the world, that one person can make a difference. As I plant my garden and plant new trees in my yard, I think I am doing a tiny bit to keep the planet green. And people can tell me I am being an idiot, that none of these things are true--that the planet will die, that Santa is a fake, that saving one kid doesn't change anything--but it doesn't matter. My inner child believes.
I am loving writing this YA. I love what it taps into, just as when I wrote the character of Lily in Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven, I tapped into her courage and her honesty. They inspire me, in some way. Or maybe they are part of me all along.
So how about your inner child? What other qualities do you tap into from your characters?
What do I like about her? Well, my character is poised between girlhood and adolescence. She's not yet a teen, she still has hope. After all the comments yesterday on the blog, what I realize I love is her lack of cynicism. The world is still tarnished and ugly around her, but it hasn't beaten her down. She still wishes on stars, still believes a tiny bit that the moon follows her at night, still believes in all things and all possibilities. Still believes God knows her name. That she is special.
She's a lot like me. In fact, all my YA heroines are. I still make snow angels, still sing too loud along with the radio, still believe in Santa Claus (I really do!). I still think saving once child at a time can change the world, that one person can make a difference. As I plant my garden and plant new trees in my yard, I think I am doing a tiny bit to keep the planet green. And people can tell me I am being an idiot, that none of these things are true--that the planet will die, that Santa is a fake, that saving one kid doesn't change anything--but it doesn't matter. My inner child believes.
I am loving writing this YA. I love what it taps into, just as when I wrote the character of Lily in Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven, I tapped into her courage and her honesty. They inspire me, in some way. Or maybe they are part of me all along.
So how about your inner child? What other qualities do you tap into from your characters?
posted by Erica Orloff at 7:51 AM
5 Comments:
When I write my Teens it's a lot about speaking out. In the beginning of the books their feelings are sort of trapped, and by the end of the book they've released them. That was me as a kid, always holding in so I especially like my teen characters to break the silence. :):)
One thing I loved about The Diary of Anne Frank was that, even with all the hell going on around her, she still believed that most people are basically good. I believe that too. If I didn't, there wouldn't be much reason in writing fiction.
But I know evil does exist. I know some people are users, abusers, and manipulators. Even some children (the neighborhood bullys, for example). In my fiction I try to expose the evil for what it is and then work toward defeating it. It's not Neverland, but it's the truth as I see it. That's the best I can do. People might call me a cynic, but I'm only trying to be honest in my view of the world.
kelly:
Thanks for sharing that. Mine are always outsiders.
E
When I write my heroines, they are so brave. Some people might call me brave but I don't always feel like I am. Desperate at times, but brave? Well, I have my moments!
Mary C.
mary:
I don't know that I am brave, either--but I think all moms have greta moments of bravery for our kids when we need to.
:-)
E
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