It’s interesting how authors often project a lot of themselves into characters, sometimes unknown to themselves. From my own writings I found I had the tendency to write some of my own insecurities into the characters. Also I would agree about the thrill of writing a highly emotional piece or exciting piece. I think that and tying up plot points are the most satisfying part of the writing experience. Sure recognition is welcomed also!

It’s great that your enthusiasm with writing for your characters is still raging! From other authors who write in series I have seen sometimes it’s as if they’ve lost interest in their lead. The challenge is not to let the main character in a series become stagnant or too predictable, which on consideration is quite a tall order…

Excellent character twist It must be great fun to have characters you thought you knew inside and out surprise you like that.

I bet you will think I’m saying this because you said you based your character on yourself. But I didn’t know that until tonight, and I have always loved Maura. I can’t believe someone called her boring… yes Jane is unpredictable and spontaneous But I can’t identify with her… I can with Maura though.

When I first started writing I did not understand that I was putting myself into my characters. I figured this out accidentally when I became emotionally upset by a character that I was writing. This particular novel is still incomplete because I had been using this character as a dumping ground for emotional baggage that I could not deal with and did not understand. I wish I had been able to be more honest with myself about the effects that certain events in my past had had on me before I started that novel. If only I had known! That novel and that poor character (me in disguise) drove me right into psychotherapy. Sometimes I’m still a bit afraid of writing, but I’m still working with the therapist and I hope to someday be able to finish writing that novel. I think about it often.