This is Why I Love Writing · 10:43pm Jul 11th, 2013
I finally got through the dreaded writer's block and began to get moving on a story that's been sitting on my head for ages.
As I wrote my character came to life. I realized that this character hated another character that I'd been making, she also loved working with maps because they help her organize her thoughts, and when she looks at maps she doesn't just see what's actually on the map but also the history associated with each place, and other details like that. In a sense she sees maps the same way a good chess player sees a chessboard.
And this is why I love writing. Because characters come to life, they take you in directions you hadn't been expecting and you realize they have little quirks that you might not have noticed at first, such as the map thing.
I'm surprised I never responded to this. I can agree with you completely. Characters become your children—extensions of yourself that you put so much love and care into crafting, and devotion into developing. It's like watching a toddler grow up. You sit back and smile proudly as you begin to notice how far they've come, and how far they still have to go, and soon they take on a life of their own.
I love all of my characters with all my heart, and it literally kills a part of me when I have to let them fall—or worse, let them go. I already know how the Skyfall saga is going to end, and without giving anything away, I already know I'm going to be a wreck writing it. I couldn't even get through the story notes without crying.
tl;dr: Your characters are you. You are your characters. The individuals in my mind are some of the deepest, most personal relationships I've ever created—and they mean an entire world to me.
— DQ