Getting Obsessed

      There are days when I believe I go beyond being insane and head straight towards delusional. Rather than writing about how I was being begged for brownies in a language of my making, in an alphabet of my making, I wrote a list. . . .In English. . . .In the English alphabet.

      A. I'm horrid at lists. B. I much prefer writing in my make-believe languages. C. WHAT? NOW EVERYONE CAN READ IT IF YOU USE THAT ALPHABET!

      *ahem* But I also have a horrid memory that needs me to organize things on paper, because I have an elf running around up there. Last night, I was writing down a list of what foods a character did, and didn't like. Cue facepalming. My sister happened to be sitting beside me and about died (okay, I exaggerate everything. It makes it more fun) when she read, "Pomegranates - No."

      But this is the kind of thing that happens when I get obsessed over my characters. I want to know every little itty bit of information that I can. If that includes finding out that my elf probably has a much too large liking for bread products, so be it.

      I learn things when I become obsessed. Things I didn't before. I can be horrible judge. I see you and decide I don't like you? It's going to be rough for me to loosen up and get to know you.

      I met my character, V, about a year ago. It was hate at first sight. It's been hate ever since. That is, till a character I loved to death told me he liked her. 

      You can only imagine that I became angry. You can't like her! What could you possibly see in her? I then decided that the character was just trying to pull my leg. What else would he be doing? After all, who in their right mind would like that little viper?

      But, because I liked the character who told me this so much, I decided to observe her again. If it wasn't a joke, I needed to know what on earth he saw in her. Naturally, she wasn't the little viper I thought she was. By seeing her through the eyes of someone who actually liked her, I saw all of the good things I'd previously missed.

      Antagonists usually aren't all bad. Protagonists usually aren't all good. Sometimes we just have to get a little obsessed and see them through the eyes of a different character. My character, Rachel, sees Mr. Annoying differently than someone she's related to does. Through Rachel's eyes, I tend to see everything annoying and somewhat grating about him. Her relative? Her relative  sees a completely different person with good qualities. 

      Once you start, you almost kind of want to learn everything about them. If that means making a list of what foods they like and don't like, I'll be content and try not to complain over writing it in English.

      If you want to know your character properly, you have to remember that not everyone sees the same person.

-K.G.