Creating a main character isn't all rainbows and sunshine. You have to create someone relatable and important. In my case, I created two. Why not? Go big or go home. Right? The two main characters had already taken up space in my mind. They were running around with their own stories in my head, (you can read more about that here) so I put them on paper.
I started out with Juliana. She was a lot more like me than I had originally meant to make her. We don't necessarily have to talk about all of her little quirks that are also my little quirks. That is an entirely different post for an entirely different day. Let's just say, I am also late to a lot of things. As much as she is like me, she is also not like me. Juliana is my quirks, my good qualities, and my insecurities magnified. Juliana is also everything that I wish I was and with I wasn't. Does that make sense? Maybe not. Maybe that only makes sense because you have written yourself into a book too. There it is, good or bad, Juliana and I are written into my book for other people to read, enjoy, and yes, judge.
Juliana is my main character; my masterpiece. Very soon, I will be handing her off to strangers in hopes that these strangers will understand her. There's something very scary about allowing people to judge Juliana and therefore judge me. It's important to me though. She's amazing, she's smart, she's kind, and eventually she figures out that she is stronger than she once believed. Throughout the first book, Juliana gets stronger and becomes a better version of herself. I love watching her evolve through all the tough times that I put her through.
Then there is Elijah, who fits the standard literary description of tall, dark, and handsome. I wanted to create a main character that had a strong description. I wanted to give Elijah a box to fit into and then make sure he didn't fit into it. I wanted him to have all the want and desire that I could imagine but also not make him some unrealistic person. Maybe I did that? Let's hope so!
I think that people put little tidbits of themselves into what they create. I know I did. It's easy for me to write what happened. It's easy for me to write what I wish had happened. Writing is my therapy. I hope that my writing gives people the escape that I get from reading. I can't wait to be able to introduce all of the characters to you.