I don’t always compare myself to my characters; in fact, I think I seldom do it. But there are times when it hits me that I have some things in common with them. I am more likely to intentionally do this with my own characters than I am with those in stories by other authors, though I have found plenty of camaraderie there, as well. I have been known to be as brash and stubborn as Elizabeth Bennet, and as willful and headstrong as Jo March (and who doesn’t love an honest and simplistic older German professor as a love interest?) I have felt the struggle of depravity and the desperate need for redemption that Angel recognized in Redeeming Love. And while I think it’s one of my favorite parts about reading, it's just as fun to read and write characters who are utterly different from me. Some of my favorite characters are those I am most unlike.
I have an upcoming novella, a fun little tale that plays out in snippets of the lives of two strangers who are about to cross paths in unexpected ways. Eliza is cheerful but shy, ambitious but reserved. Her easygoing manners are not something I’ve ever seen in myself, but something I’d like to see. And although I think we have little in common, she is at the top of my list of characters I’d want to be friends with.
I find I have more in common with David. When we meet David, he is on the cusp of a wake-up call, a jolt into the reality that the life he has been building is not a good fit for him. He’s spent years chasing success only to realize he’s caused himself burnout for a life that he actually finds unsuitable once he pauses long enough to think about it.
Like David, I am in the middle of a life change. Years ago, I jumped head-first into a career that isn’t healthy for me, and I was bent on sticking it out - in fact, I'm still trying to let it go. I’m currently in the process of discovering what actually makes me happy, something you’ll see David do, too. This takes long pauses, intentionality, and recognizing feelings that might be new and uncomfortable. It takes slowing down and noticing the world around you and how you react to it. And sometimes it takes a giant leap of faith to leave behind the life you know so well to make space for new things to come in. This is where I’m at. It’s also where David is.
How will it end for David? I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
And as for me? Well, I know my God has plans for good and not evil, and that there is no losing in this life when your goal is the next one. No matter what.
Comments