Character evolution

I shared the other day that sometimes the characters in my stories spring fully developed into my mind, and sometimes they develop.

There is a character in my stories that is going to go through some difficult times in the next book in the Bayou Beni series.  I hate that she is going to go through such a traumatic event, but life includes trauma.

The trauma will change her, and her family.  She will go through a very dark time.  She will need tremendous support from her family, and she will get it.

This is the strangest thing about writing stories.  I don't want my characters to suffer, but if my stories are true to life, they have to.

I will create an environment and a support system like I wish for everyone who suffers a traumatic event.  I can do that.

I can have the character grow and change in a positive way as a result of the trauma she suffers.

Writing fiction is harder than I thought it would be.

If I could do all puppies, and kittens, and butterflies and rainbows, I would.

But them my stories wouldn't be real and relatable.  It is like seeing my child suffer, this character I have created.  And we all know how that feels.

I often wish I could fix things for the people I love in real life.  It is a strange irony that I can't even protect my imaginary characters without making my stories too unbelievable.

Bottom line - life is hard and bad things happen.  The best I can do both in life and in fiction is to be as helpful and supportive as I can be for recovery.