[serialposts]One of the most crucial parts of any novel is how the characters develop. In part two of my interview with Mary DeMuth, I ask about how the characters for The Muir House came together.

What I found interesting about Mary’s response was how attached she gets to the characters in her stories.

It’s easy to understand how a reader can get attached to the characters in a story. We read, and connect with people because they’re going through things that we’ve also gone through or can identify with. By the time we finish the book we sometimes feel like we just got done hanging out with a friend.

But the authors of great stories go through the same thing. Maybe it’s because there are pieces of her own story in the characters that she gets frustrated and rejoices with, and eventually comes to miss when the story is over. Whatever the reason, I learned a lot about connecting with the characters in my own writing based on her response.

Watch part two (of three) of the interview here…

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