So a very nice guy emailed me, asking how I write the characters in my novels- are they real people or do I actually create them?
And the answer is: I just start writing and (hopfully) they come into being as I go. And, usually, after a while, I do, in fact 'see' them; they do become real, to me.
Case in point- "Condo: The Story of How Las Vegas Got High." I am writing about a guy, a 30-something attorney, Roy Richards. The story opens on our hero. He is walking down the street and catches his reflection in a tinted window. OK, great- now I can describe him, or at least, describe how Roy looks to Roy. This forces me to figure out what he looks like. And (I swear to goodness this is true) a week or so after 'seeing' him, I actually saw him- in the person of actor JASON BEHR.
I think I remember Jason Behr as that kinda alien-looking clean-cut kid from Roswell repeats. But now? He's grownp- up. The hair is long and he's real cool. Very cool, man. And that voice? Deep and masculine and exactly as I described my character prior to seeing Jason.
Maybe I'll turn the novel into a screenplay. If I do, it'll be easy to cast the lead.
