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Tara Taylor Quinn | The Link Between Me and My Characters
July 9, 2010
People always ask me where I get my ideas for stories. The second most asked
question is ‘where do I get my characters?’ Generally the questions instill a
measure of discomfort within me. Because the truth is hard to explain. Or
maybe, I just don’t have enough faith that the answer will be well accepted. Or
believed. And, after all, they’re aren’t many of us who want people to think
we’re weird. My answer to both questions is usually some sort of vague ‘Oh, they’re just
there.’ Not much of an answer, I know. And yet, it’s the complete truth. I don’t have
a trunk in my attic filled with ideas, or people, or even costumes for people to
wear. I don’t have a diary, or a ledger, where I make lists. I don’t go
anywhere or look anyplace for the stories that fill my pages, or for the people
who live and breath between the covers of my books. They’re just there. They
always have been. I believe that the ideas, and the people who fulfill them, are given to me by a
source that is greater than I am as an individual - given to me as a part of the
talent that I was blessed with to write. I am most comfortable telling myself
that I am merely a conduit, a partner in a collective job, so that I don’t have
to worry about ideas or characters. I just have to listen, and to put on paper
the things that I hear. And describe the things that my mind’s eye shows me. And yet, through the years and over the course of fifty books, I hear again and
again from people who know me about things they recognize in my books. Mostly
they are things they recognize about me. As though, parts of me leak through
every story I write. Makes sense, I guess. It also makes me uncomfortable. When my heroine is making a sandwich, my mother knows what kind she’s making
before she reads it on the page. When a scene takes place in a meadow many of
my family members recognize the place before I’ve described it. A male
character gave some advice one time - it was the same advice my sweet husband
imparts when things get tough.  And now, there’s Kelly Chapman. (She’s the
expert witness psychologist I told you all about last month.) She’s an inline
skater. When something is bothering her, when she has a decision to make, when
she has questions, she skates. Skating takes her out of the every day world,
quiets the noise in her mind, so that she can get in sync with the deepest parts
of herself. So that she can hear the still small voice that speaks ultimate
truths. She finds clarity when she skates.
I skate, too. I skate because I am addicted to the feeling of strength I
experience flying over cement with the wind cooling my face. My skates are a
part of me. I am comfortable with them. I feel invincible in them. And it’s
often when I’m skating when I hear the stories clearly. When I see the people
that will inhabit them. Whole scenes fall into place. People introduce
themselves. Life’s truths - a necessary part of storytelling if you are to
bring your readers satisfying conclusions - become clear. So, like a lot of the things in my books, Kelly stole a part of me to make
herself. I’m good with that. Mostly. You see, Kelly, unlike any other
characters, took a vital part of me and then messed it up. She skated alone.
On the path I frequent most often. It’s a converted railroad track out in the
country, surrounded by corn fields and little else. Women shouldn’t be out
there alone. Not in today’s world. Kelly thought she was invincible on skates,
too, I guess. And something bad happened. I’ve been avoiding that stretch of path ever since. I’ve skated it. I’ll skate
it again. But it’s a struggle every time. I keep feeling things at my back. I
can’t relax. My breathing isn’t rhythmic. But, like Kelly, I’m not giving up.
Or is it that, like me, she doesn’t give up? Either way, Kelly’s hard at work. In The Second Lie - the second
of her upcoming four books - she takes on a fourteen year old client and finds
herself on the trail of a possible pedophile. You can rest assured. Neither
one of us give up on that one. Kelly skates in all of her books: The First Wife, Harlequin
Superromance, 9/10; The
Second Lie, MIRA Books, 10/10; The Third Secret, MIRA
Books, 11/10; and The Fourth
Victim, MIRA Books, 12/10. If you pick up any of The Chapman Files, Kelly and I would love to hear
from you! Write us at [email protected].
Comments
14 comments posted.
Re: Tara Taylor Quinn | The Link Between Me and My Characters
When I need to know something for sure, I go on a walk and try to be near water. Both restore a sense of wonder and inspiration and I find that my peotry reflects back what is in the present and what I put in place to surround myself.
(Alyson Widen 2:26pm July 9, 2010)
My daughter runs to calm down - I walk!
I think it would be hard to not put a bit of yourself in your books.
(Karin Tillotson 2:30pm July 9, 2010)
What struck me about your blog today was the fact that we have to be on guard about evil people regardless of where we are. I had my purse snatched when I was just walking across a parking lot going to the grocery store. Since the purse had two straps, both of which were over my left arm, the assailant drug me with them and my left arm and leg were injured. I don't know if the straps finally broke or if he cut them. I was holding onto a small child with my right hand, so couldn't use it in any way. A friend of mine had her purse stolen from her car while she was visiting her husband's grave at the cemetery. You don't realize what all you have in your purse until you lose it, nor how much trouble it is to replace the items.
(Gladys Paradowski 2:37pm July 9, 2010)
When I walk I sort out my life. It's very calming & invigorating at the same time.
(Mary Preston 6:27pm July 9, 2010)
That was a very big step to take to reveal so much of yourself in your blog, but yet it felt cozy on this end to know how much of yourself goes into your characters!! I feel that everyone has something they do to relax or to center themselves. I knit to relax and shut out the world around me. When I need some direction, I usually pray and ask for guidance, or take a walk by the waters' edge, getting myself immersed in looking for beach glass or shells. Just looking at nature seems to clear my head and give me the answers I'm seeking. Ask your Guardian Angels for protection while you're skating. I worry about you skating in that area. It doesn't sound too safe. You need to skate around more people, like in a park.
(Peggy Roberson 9:28pm July 9, 2010)
If I'm confused or upset, I wash dishes. It gives me a feeling of normalcy but allows my mind to process my feelings and emotions.
(Rosemary Krejsa 9:29pm July 9, 2010)
I like to go outside and work in the garden. I feel closer to God then and feel as if I can sort things out there.
(Brenda Rupp 10:44pm July 9, 2010)
I enjoy brisk walks on the beach in whatever weather (and in CA, it's mostly foggy and cold this time of year).
When in doubt, take something that can be used as a weapon with you but only if you can really use it. Otherwise, it can be taken away and used against you. I take hand weights when I walk in my neighborhood for exercise; I could work on my arms and upper body while knowing that a 3-lb weight can hurt if thrown or used to deck an attacker (or trip him up if he runs after me).
(S Tieh 11:23pm July 9, 2010)
I ENJOY WALKING, BIKEING, YOGA AND WORKING IN MY GARDEN.
(Vickie Hightower 12:17pm July 10, 2010)
I think it would be hard not to have a
part of you or what you know show up
in your books. It is natural. The old
saying, Write what you know, would
certainly reflect that. I am watching
for your books. Best of luck with the
rest of the series.
(Patricia Barraclough 12:43pm July 10, 2010)
When I'm Troubled or worried about something,I walk and make a list in my mind trying to put things on order of importance. If things get too heavy to handle,I just talk to my maker,I am not very religious but there are some things that can't be handled alone.
(George Zimmerman 1:09pm July 10, 2010)
I bake or take it out on the eliptical, depends on my mood :) When you give so much or yourself with writing it it natural to have an outlet of opposite nature...skating. PS I like your glam shot and then the skater look complete with ipod and helmet - which EVERYONE should be wearing when they go.
(Darci Paice 2:53pm July 10, 2010)
Great comments! I notice that most of us go to nature in some form to find our deeper selves. I don't think that's a coincidence.
I don't ever skate alone. Haven't for several years. My husband is an avid skater as well. We recently returned from a cross country skate in upstate Michigan. It was scary, but for a different reason! We'd just heard there was a cougar loose in the area!
(Tara Taylor Quinn 4:45pm July 12, 2010)
As crazy as it may sound, I
hope on my rider mower. I can
spend hours riding around and
around in a circle, cutting
wide swatches or narrow bands
and lose myself to outside
noises. I tend to go almost in
a dreamlike state where I
there but I'm not. I write
conversations or whole
chapters over and over in my
head.
(Lisa Richards 7:43am July 15, 2010)
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