Well, it kind of sounds like I’m mad, but there is no other way to put it. I enjoy it when my characters speak to me. Usually, it happens during the most mundane moments such as when I am ironing clothes. Scenes play out in your mind like little movies. You become a part of their world. You feel what they feel, see what they do. Sometimes it is a fright to come back to reality and realise you’ve finished the entire basket of ironing and you don’t remember doing a bit of it. Or is that just me?

My characters are a part of me. They start in my mind but as their story is put to paper or typed into a keyboard, they became very real. They make me laugh, make me cry, make me annoyed, but I couldn’t live without them. When I open my manuscripts, it is like greeting old friends.

Yes, I am the list owner of a small historical fiction critique group. I cannot recommend such a group enough. To participate in a group of like-minded writers can be of enormous benefit to your writing. I will stress that it is important that there are rules for everyone to abide by and to only join a critique group if you have the time and the need to help other writers. Critiques are given and taken on trust. Egos are left at the door.

I feel my writing has become so much better by having others read it. When you write, you are so close to the work that sometimes you don’t see the mistakes or the weak areas that, with a little editing, can be made more powerful. It is helpful to discuss your work and the feedback you get is very rewarding. I like to know when my characters have caused a reaction and you get that from a critique group. We share the highs and the lows together and know that there is always a shoulder to cry on if we are having a rotten day and can’t string two words together to make sense.

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