When I lock myself up to write, I cannot allow myself to think about the censor or the reviewer or anyone but my characters and their story!
Judy BlumeRead
My characters live inside my head for a long time before I actually start a book about them. Then, they become so real to me I talk about them at the dinner table as if they are real. Some people consider this weird. But my family understands.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the deep connection and empathy a writer develops with their characters, almost treating them as real individuals.
Judy Blume expresses the unique experience of a writer where characters are not merely fictional creations but entities that inhabit the writer's mind long before the writing process begins. This connection allows the writer to engage with their characters to the extent that they discuss them in everyday life, highlighting the bond between creativity and personal reality. While some may find this peculiar, it's understood and accepted within the context of family, illustrating how art can deeply intertwine with one's personal life.
Themes
WritingCharactersImaginationFamilyCreativityFiction
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I quoted Judy Blume to explain how deep character development is essential.
More from Judy Blume
All quotes →What I remember when I started to write was how I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to get to my characters.
Judy BlumeRead
What can happen if a young reader picks up a book he/she isn't yet ready for? Questions, maybe. Usually, that child puts down the book and says, 'Boring.' Or, 'I'm not ready for this.' Kids are really good at knowing what they can handle.
Judy BlumeRead
Concentrate on how good if feels to be alive. No matter what. Just to see the color of the sky, just to smell the air, and feel the wind in your face
Judy BlumeRead
I wrote 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' right out of my own experiences and my own feelings when I was in sixth grade.
Judy BlumeRead
Nobody ever asks me why my characters don't text each other. Besides, as soon as you put something 'electronic' in a book, it's already out of date by the time it's published: everything will have changed. Human emotion, on the other hand, will never change.
Judy BlumeRead
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