From Animals to Characters--How stories evolve

Barn Owl

I'm an animal lover, have been since day one. I find them beautiful, elegant, and loving—not necessarily toward me, but toward their offspring and groups or packs. Molly the Barn Owl and her mate, McGee, entranced me for months. I still check in from time to time for updates. Watching them, waiting for the eggs to hatch, the babies to grow and finally branch and fledge (owl-speak for their first steps outside the box and first serious flight), and then the cycle began again. McGee, the magnificent and relentless hunter, Molly, equally fierce in the care and teaching of her young—what wonderful creatures! I learned a lot about barn owls and wish we had a suitable habitat so I could put up an owl box. Instead, I'll have to content myself with writing about them.

Emmett

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I met the most charming little screech owl. Emmett was injured and is no longer able to hunt, so he lives with the kind people at PAWS-SC. His companion is Tosh, a barred owl who's blind in one eye, so he's another permanent resident.

Furry animals—wolves, dogs, cats, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels—they all intrigue me. We don't have any wolves, but the rest live around us. We feed them and discourage predators, such as the black snake who lurks in the woods behind us.

So what about a main character who works with animals? I'd have to do some research, which should be great fun. I like this idea. It will be a man, because I can see him now. Would you believe he has dark hair tied back in a low ponytail? This is how characters come to life for me. Oh, it's Charlie! That's a surprise. He already exists in a story I'm working on. It just took me a minute to recognize him. Now I'm eager to get back to the story because I've discovered another facet to his character. He takes care of injured animals. He was a medic, injured in the Middle East, and is badly scarred. He has PSTD and is up and about at night, so he could easily find an injured owl. He's a character I love.

Red-shouldered hawk in back yard

Who could not like writing fiction? It's full of surprises and delights, and you meet the most interesting people. And you can always find ways to use the things you enjoy.

How do characters come to you? What's first, the character or the storyline? In this new one, I met the heroine first and sort of fell into her story. Then one night, Charlie stepped out of the woods.

I'd like to know how you find your characters. For me, it's the best part of writing.