Saturday Writing Quote — on characters

01_Barn_Pastel_WEB“A story is finished when the mystery of the character has been revealed. That’s what Flannery O’Connor wrote at least, and she tends to get it right. And no mystery can be revealed if the character isn’t challenged to come to terms with what makes her alive: the desires that get her up in the morning in the first place, whether she understands them or not.”

— Michelle Hoover, in The Duplicity of A Character’s Desire, Writer Unboxed, 3/20/16

(Illustration: pastel on garnet paper, by Leslie)

Saturday Writing Quote — on characters

imgp4301I’m enjoying picking a theme for the month’s quotes, and hope you are, too. By the way, if you come across a quote you love about writing, art, or creativity that you’d like to share, send it to me at leslie@lesliebudewitz.com — merci!

“Surely the test of a novel’s characters is that you feel a strong interest in them and their affairs—the good to be successful, the bad to suffer failure.”

— Mark Twain

(Photo: My latest box of characters, officially out June 8 but already available in some outlets!)