CHARACTER

Next month I am giving a masterclass on writing a novel. So reading How Fiction Works has been a nice refreshing preparation. I love it when James Wood says: "There is nothing harder than the creation of fictional character." And when he says that a "great deal of nonsense is written every day about characters in fiction". It is so good to revisit many an old character through the eyes of James Wood, and to reflect on how their creators might have created them. The process remains (mercifully) mysterious. The thing is - you can theorise and analyse all you like about these things, but there is no substitute for getting down to work and giving it a try. You can analyse your work after you have written it.