Not Everyone is an Extrovert

ROverhate via Pixabay

One of my characters is being very tight-lipped. She's my newest character, one I dreamed up several years ago, but whose story has yet to be told. I've been spending time lately trying to decide on my next project and, while her story is on the list of possibilities, every time I try to get close to her, she plays hide and seek.

And she's a grown woman.

Unfortunately, all the preliminary character notes I made about her are also playing hide and seek. I thought I knew exactly where they were but, when I went to retrieve them, they weren't there after all. So, except for a few broad brush ideas I still remember, I'm starting from scratch.

I find her elusiveness incredibly frustrating because character development is my favorite part of writing. And this character won't develop. She's like a stock character in a made-for-TV movie and I know there has to be more to her than that.

Enter Bets.

Of all my characters, Bets is the most talkative and, since she works as a temp, she could easily be my new character's co-worker. So, I had Bets describe this newcomer (whom I'll call Renée) to Marita. Marita kept asking questions, of course and, by the end of their conversation, I had insight into my new character. By taking myself out of the picture, and simply having two of my familiar characters talk to each other, I suddenly had a clearer image of who this new woman is. 

I still have a lot of work to do before I'm ready to start telling Renée's story but now I have a whole lot more to write about. I also have things to research (Bets just told me how Renée ended up working where she does and there's much more to it than I imagined). I also have more characters to develop since it's become obvious that I need someone like Bets to reveal some of Renée's motivations. Despite today's revelations, there's one thing I'm sure of.

Renée is a pretty private character. I don't think she's going to make this easy.