© by Raymond Alexander Kukkee     [caption id="attachment_1624" align="aligncenter" width="584"] Characters drive fiction in  shadows and light...[/caption]

Characters in Fiction are Essential

"In writing fiction, characters drive everything  --plot, action, direction, reflections, flashbacks, natural selection --and in some cases  doing so, eliminate, break or stretch rules, inhibitions, morals and logic. The author is merely the messenger. "

Characters in fiction are the backbone

With careful analysis, it is easy to see that characters are the backbone of any novel or short story. The writer merely has to ensure a few ribs, arms, hands and legs --and a brain--become attached for display purposes to bring them to life.  Characters drive both shadows and light in any story,-- in fact characters  drive other characters, and  passion in all of it's forms. Unusual characters add incredible value to perhaps otherwise mundane content. Carry on, write as your characters in fiction direct.  To not tell the story your characters wish told  may be hypocrisy,  less than honest, or perhaps, in the extreme,  even unethical.  Be brave.  Your readers will not kill the messenger, although a work of fiction may not seem agreeable,  with a premise disliked or misunderstood completely, some individuals may be outraged, indignant, and unforgiving. "Some" being the key. Others will passionately enjoy your story line, your premise, and  your characters, either loving or hating them--but at the very least, understanding them.  The point is, they touch the mind of the reader --which is the name of the game.   Bottom line, as an author, be fearless; be unrepentant; be true to your characters--and most importantly,  be true to yourself as a writer. #   Is that Incoming I hear? Photo by author #