Character creep

We had a good talk at our writers' group today, about characters in stories and how we might define them, so we can make them consistent and different from each other. Someone mentioned how characters often seem like extensions of the writer--all so similar they start to sound the same. Someone else mentioned characters that change (or creep) to fit the story or the scene; we agreed some change, some surprise, is good, as long as it's not purely arbitrary. Then there are those characters that start off different but all fade into one during editing--I think the ones in the novel I've been working on are doing that, but luckily it's not the novel I've signed a contract on.

So many things to watch out for--I'll enjoy using those self-analysis quizzes on the internet to sort things out, but not just yet. For now, I'm taking some time off editing and working on writing instead. I've got a great coupon to use on Lulu, so I've challenged myself to finish Joshua's Journeys and get it (self-)published--lots of Biblical people, ready-named if not analyzed, and all the fun of converting scenes into stories with beginning middle and end... and consistent characters. Wish me luck!