Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Voices

I hear voices in my head.

They are all knowing. They let me into a world I would not have been privy to if I would not have listened to them. They are characters seeking out vengeance, sick bastards who lust for blood, or innocent bystanders who got in the way of an antagonist without knowingly doing so.

I can write and create without said voices. They usually follow if I decide to work off an idea instead of voices alone. But, when they come on their own it always makes the story a little more special. I get to know the characters, their thoughts and feelings or what actions they would pursue if they were faced with a room full of blood, realizing only moments after - they were the cause.

It's quite fun.

One could argue that yes, these come from within me. I suppose they do, but I'm always delighted and surprised by the new developments in a character or story when the piece takes on a life of its own.

The more I write, the louder the voices get. And from where I started out, with a nineteen year old male trying to take over my body, impossible to ignore.

They are apart of my creative process. I adore listening to what the characters have to tell or show me. They come out for a reason, while I'm not entirely sure why I was chosen to tell their story, I always enjoy that little trip into my head, to learn or to grow as a writer. I'm not ashamed of the voices. I indulge in them whenever I get a quite opportunity and I giggle at the unusual gazes when I tell someone who won't understand.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

16 comments:

Shadow said...

I love that feeling when you realize, hey, this is a real person! It can be quite amazing especially when they sneak up on you.

Tyhitia Green said...

The voices, the pictures, the scenes, etc. make it all so cool. Excellent post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. ;-)

Paula Ray said...

The voices you speak of are the mark of a writer's mind willing to let the characters come to life. They are gift and add new layers to our often drab lives. We get the chance to live vicariously through them as their story unfolds.


What the heck - you can't get a good radio station where you are, anyway :)

Kara McElhinny said...

Shadow - I love it when they sneak up on me like that. Thankfully, none have scared me yet. :P

Tyhitia - Thanks, and it is the coolest.

Paula - LOL, you're right. I have NO good radio here, the voices do keep me entertained.

Cate Gardner said...

I'm convinced all my characters are real and living it up in an alternate universe. :D

Kara McElhinny said...

Cate, I totally agree with you! They just come through our minds to tell their stories.

Angel Zapata said...

It never ceases to amaze me how loud and clear my characters speak. Most people would think we were nuts (and some of us writers are), but that feeling when your typing and the voice is so natural, so driving-- nothing is better than helping them come to life.

Cody Taylor said...

I think I might be one of my own characters.

Kara McElhinny said...

Thanks for commenting Angel and I agree with you!

Cody, I think that every character has to have a little of us in them otherwise how could we create and relate to them so tightly? Thanks for stopping over!

Anthony Rapino said...

Oh hell yes. Once those damn characters are on paper, they never stop jabbering in my head. There's a point where if you don't listen to what they have to say, they start to bite.

Laurie said...

Don't you just love it when you're writing along and out comes a scene your charcters dictate, leaving you thinking "Wow - I never saw that coming!"

Anonymous said...

I hear you 100%!

I love your blog. I also love to see your comments on ST. You are so amazingly upbeat and you're just a joy. A delightfully twisted, dark and perky joy. :D

-Mercedes

Kara McElhinny said...

Onipar...I started writing when I was 29 years old and I am a woman. I did not know what the hell to do when the 19 year old boy started to take over my body! It was an interesting couple of days... :P

Laurie!! Hey! Thanks for coming over to my blog! I'm jazzed and of course I love it, and sometimes it's a little shocking/exciting to find a hidden facet in the story.

Mercedes!!! Thanks so much! That is the sweetest thing! I love ST as well, I'm glad I stopped lurking. :D

Anthony Rapino said...

Ha, you know, I had a few funny comments about the 19 YO boy taking over your body, but no matter what way I phrased them, it all sounded way too perverse. :-P

Anthony Rapino said...

By the by, I added you to my blog links, which I've been meaning to do but kept forgetting. Thanks for reading my latest published story, glad you liked it.

Kara McElhinny said...

Thanks for the thought of the comments at least Onipar... and thanks for adding me to your blog lists!