I sometimes know WHAT I’m going to have a character do before I know who they are.
I’ll often know a few things, like gender, age, and what their motivations are as they pertain to the story I’m telling.
But I sometimes wonder more about them. Sometimes I discover things as I write (I found out my main character is a good cook while writing my current story).
Sometimes one of the ways I find out about them is to let them tell me.
I’ll type in a vague description into google images, and when looking at faces I’ll suddenly see one that tells me everything I need to know. I recently needed a sales clerk character. I typed in BEAUTIFUL WOMEN.
I hadn’t planned for her to be Asian. Or young. But upon seeing the picture I knew this was her. I don’t research the girl in the picture and base my character on her. It’s kind of like seeing a stranger at the mall and making up a story about them. But seeing her told me all sorts of things about her, like her past, her fears, her favorite clothes, her favorite music, her sexual orientation, what she wanted out of life, etc.
It only works with people I don’t recognize though. I’ve never seen a celebrity that I recognize and thought ‘a-ha!’ like this.
My theory is that deep down I’m a visual person, that couples with my love of language to help me ‘see’ what I’m describing to the reader.
Or maybe I’m just weird.
Love, Isabella 