Tuesday's Inspiration - Carson McCullers

Just a snipped today from Carson McCullers about those oddball characters. "The oddball character is a revelation of ourselves."

When I read this, I wondered what this meant. Then I read something a friend wrote on her blog asking how much of a character was based on ourselves. Perhaps a hard question to ask. Separating the elements in the character belong to us and what are created out of our imagination can be hard.

These oddball characters aren't necessarily the villains in a story. They can be the hero or heroine. Approaching a character who has a physical problem that makes them different from the people around them can be hard. Writing about the handsome, the beautiful is a bit easier to gain reader acceptance but it can be done. And unfortunately, men are easier to cast in this role than women. To make an impaired character the star takes many guts and looking them through what we feel about ourselves and the others around us. Empathy plays a role.

So build these characters with love and empathy. Bringing them to life can help a writer grow.