I Took My Character to Coffee

by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam

No really, I did. I got the idea from when my daughter was in Junior High. Some days she’d return from school and I could tell something was on her mind. Of course when I’d asked, the answer was nothing or I dunno. 

Frustrated and I’d wonder how to get it out of her, I tried all sorts of things. One day, I had an idea and waited to try it. I knew she loved to get a taco over at The Bell, so on a day she came in sad, I asked if she’d like to go for supper there. And she did. 

Once there, she slowly offered a comment or two about the day. I’d let her talk but kept my responses to shakes or nods of my head. Within no time, she would unload all that was on her mind. It worked like a dream.

Recently, I was stuck with my character. I felt stuck with where I was going with her. She started to resemble that elementary school character the kids mail to other kids—flat Stanley. She had become flat and boring to me. And if to me, pretty sure it would be to my readers. 

I moved around the house with my laptop, hoping by changing my location something would pop into my head of what she might be thinking. Yet nothing. 

Then the light bulb went on and I decided to take her for coffee. She didn’t seem like a taco girl and even though I don’t drink coffee, I thought she might. Off we went. I drove, she rode along tucked inside of my laptop.

I arrived, ordered the drinks and placed my laptop on the table. I opened up a blank document and instead of talking out loud, I started having a conversation with my character via the keyboard. (Strange looks were given—er—I mean, I think they might have been given had I done that, cough-cough) I have to admit, it was weird at first, but once I got going, I gained perspective on where I was trying to take my character and it wasn’t working. Like the whole square peg, round hole type of issue. But I couldn’t see it while I was writing it. 

I actually had fun having this conversation. Don’t get me wrong, I realize I wasn’t talking to a real person, but I started asking questions AS IF I was. The questions began to point me to the fact that I had created parts of this character without thinking them all the way through. So she would ask questions like: why do you make me huff a lot, why’d you give me a temper and I explode so fast—you make me look mean but I’m not? Do I always have to show up late? Am I rude?

When I looked at the good qualities I’d given her, I’d said patience and compassion. But in a few scenes, well she was neither of those. She was more like a hot-tempered firecracker. It was quite revealing and showed me exactly why I didn’t like her anymore. She wasn’t the original character I plotted out. Yikes.

This exercise might be a little off the wall, but it was actually fun for me. I asked questions to make myself re-think some of the traits I’d given her. Looking back at my notes from when I began the story idea, there were a few misfires in how the character would play out. 

While this might not be something you’d care to do, as it might look odd sitting at a coffee shop with two cups of coffee across from each other, I do recommend you try it sometime. Ask your character what’s on his or her mind. What would they like to change or improve? It may give your work-in-progress a bit more depth. 

Fess up, have you done something similar with your character before? Do tell in the comments below.

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You’ll find Tammy using humor and wit to bring joy and hope to every aspect in life. She’s gone from down and defeated from a past filled with bullying and criticism from family to living a Tickled Pink life as she believes there is always a giggle wanting to come out! All because of HIM.

She’s the Social Media Coordinator for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. President of ACFW Upstate SC, Past-President and current member of Word Weavers Upstate SC and Past-President of Cross N Pens Writers Group. She’s a member of My Book Therapy/Novel Academy. A writing team member for The Write Conversation, contributor for the Learn How to Write a Novel Blog and others. Published in the Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments.

She’s married to her college sweetheart Larry, a mom to their grown daughter, Kristen and excited to add a son-in-law in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, she now lives in South Carolina. Connect with Tammy at HTTPS://TAMMYKARASEK.COM.