The responses to Madeleine O’Brien’s guest posts have my characters doing a happy dance.
Ouch—one of them just slapped my wrist. None of them are the kind of people who would do that.
Anyway, I did similar posts earlier in my blogging career, before many of you found me. So I thought I’d do a simple post today and give the links to them. If you haven’t seen them previously, I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Katharine Donnelly of Summer at the Crossroads went first back in December, which isn’t surprising when you get to know her.
She was followed by Kathryn Donnellan of the same book later that month. Kathryn’s used to acting in the background and didn’t complain about being second.
We also heard from Jack Trainer of Death Out of Time a while back. He’s not the only major male character in the books. We will hear from some of the others down the line, too.
I hope you’ll enjoy their views on the books and our writing journey, too.
Madeleine O’Brien’s project area in Death Out of Time looks a lot like this. Some of the action takes place in Loudoun County, Virginia, in August, which is where and when I took this photo.
Vanessa Chapman
/ August 14, 2012It’s a great thing that you’re doing…all of you!
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012Thanks, Vanessa.
Sometimes these characters are a talkative bunch…. Not always so much while we’re editing and revising, though! 
diannegray
/ August 14, 2012Well done. Nice slap on the wrist!
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012Thanks, Dianne.
I’m not sure how many writers do posts like these, but my characters are insistent about it!
diannegray
/ August 14, 2012Hahaha – you’re certainy ‘character driven’ –
4amWriter
/ August 14, 2012Thanks for linking us to those back posts. I had a grand time reading through them and getting a closer look at your characters and what they think of all of this writing business!
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012Thanks, Kate.
I wonder if these posts are giving ideas to other writers’ characters…. 
Elliot
/ August 14, 2012Thanks for the links, I shall come back and try and read them later. As noted earlier, it is not an exercise I have ever really done, but a good way to get to know your characters.
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012I know it’s not for everyone. But some folks might find it a helpful exercise. And writers like me, who have talkative characters, can get some blogging help now and again.
Carrie Rubin
/ August 14, 2012Again, I think this is a very creative venture. You definitely know how to think outside the box. Thanks for the links–it was fun to read through them.
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012Thanks, Carrie.
I also noticed when I checked the links that you were one of the few original viewers of these posts. Thanks so much again for being an early (and current!) supporter. 
Carrie Rubin
/ August 14, 2012Two of them I had seen before, but one was new to me. It’s hard to believe we’ve been blogging that long. Though it’s probably not long in the grand scheme of things.
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012No, some people have been at this for years. Which makes my roughly ten months seem like nothing. But I’m happy with where I am and what I’m doing.
kindredspirit23
/ August 14, 2012All excellent looks at other characters! I enjoyed the back and forth, even though you weren’t there for it! The book sounds even more interesting. Keep writing!
Scott
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012Thanks, Scott.
The characters also appreciate your (and others’) support of their posts. 
I think they’re all working on more posts I can use in the future!
robincoyle
/ August 14, 2012That was fun. I know you suggested I let my characters “talk” about me, but it still scares me!
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012Thanks, Robin.
Take the plunge—the water’s fine! 
Remember, you control the publish button! And you can always ask them to focus on the book, not you. 
robincoyle
/ August 14, 2012They are obstinate and I’m afraid they would ignore the request to focus on the book. They would only want to complain about me!
gene3067
/ August 14, 2012Have Katharine and Kathryn ever gotten into a cat fight? I get this feeling that they don’t like each other much. Most of this is caused by Katharine’s superiority complex vibe I get.
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012Oh, how appropriate a “cat” fight would be, yes?
They haven’t actually gotten into one, though. Living in alternate universes probably helps. But they will “bicker” in my head sometimes. Kathryn thinks Katharine could have done more to help the story along in the early days. Katharine thinks Kathryn should remember that Katharine can’t talk about many things too freely, if at all, and sometimes it’s hard to open up for the book.
Some people would read this and think I might be a bit “off” in my head. But I honestly don’t think I am! And usually the characters do work together to tell their stories. But when they snap at each other, it can make for a distracted day!
gene3067
/ August 14, 2012If people really want to see “off their head” ideas, they should watch daytime TV.
BTW: My characters talk to me too.
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012It’s reassuring to know other characters talk to their chosen writers.
And I wouldn’t ever want mine to leave, even when they’re arguing. They keep life interesting. 
gene3067
/ August 14, 2012Yep.
Kourtney Heintz
/ August 14, 2012Very fun to read and a cool exercise to get inside your character’s head. A while back, I used Myspace for a few month blog experiment of one of my characters.
Gave me terrific insight and lots to use in the book.
jmmcdowell
/ August 14, 2012Ssh! They might hear you and want their own blogs, too!
But that must have been a great exercise. I like finding new ways to stretch the creativity and get at ideas and character motivations.
Kourtney Heintz
/ August 16, 2012LOL. It helped me really get into that character’s head.
mskatykins
/ August 14, 2012Nice one, this is a great idea and I’m glad you’ve reposted. It’s nice to see writers working together.
jmmcdowell
/ August 15, 2012Thanks, Katy.
I really enjoy seeing what my characters come up with on their posts. I don’t edit them, either. If they want to get on my back about something, they can. So far, so good! 
mskatykins
/ August 19, 2012Ravena Guron
/ August 15, 2012Thanks for the repost… I didn’t even consider there may have been good posts that I might have missed
jmmcdowell
/ August 15, 2012Hey, Raven, keep your early posts in mind for later use, too. I think we do some good, insightful posts early on, but not many people are around to read them! And when someone starts following a blog after we’ve been at it a while, they usually don’t have time to go back through our archives to find those gems. Plus, they can help fill those occasional “what the heck should I post today?” quandaries.
limebirdbeth
/ August 15, 2012Huzzzah! Great to see other posts too! x
jmmcdowell
/ August 15, 2012Hey, bad Akismet!
Your comment ended up in my spam queue! But I always check so I found it. 
Limebirders are not spam—you rock!
limebirdbeth
/ August 16, 2012Haha, yeah I do the same, I always check my spam comments. LimebirdAmber said that I went into spam too, why is this happening
hehe thanks! x
Jeannie
/ August 16, 2012Group therapy! LOL
jmmcdowell
/ August 16, 2012That would be an interesting experience! But you’d never get these folks to go along with it.
annewoodman
/ August 19, 2012JM, I enjoyed getting to read these posts. I hadn’t started reading your blog yet when you first posted these! Nice POV shifts. I hope you’re having fun wherever you are. ; )