This quote by Margaret Mahy speaks to the power of storytelling and the creative process. It recommends that when an author is crafting a story, the characters can become so brilliant and alive that they take on a life of their own. The characters can become so real to the author that they can practically appear to be directing the story in a particular instructions. This is a testimony to the power of the imagination and the capability of an author to create a world and characters that feel so real that they can handle a life of their own. It is a suggestion that the innovative procedure is an effective one and that the characters can become so real that they can take control of the story.
"Homer's whole language, the language in which he lived, the language that he breathed, because he never saw it, or certainly those who formed his tradition never saw it, in characters on the pages. It was all on the tongue and in the ear"
"The Little Friend is a long book. It's also completely different from my first novel: different landscape, different characters, different use of language and diction, different approach to story"
"So if you want to have a great video game-based movie you have to keep the mood of the game, use the normal character setup - but you have to flesh out the story and provide more background for the characters"
"The way I write is that I'll actually have a conversation out loud with myself. In a weird way, I just kind of get schizophrenic and play two characters"
"From beginning to end it's about keeping the energy and the intensity of the story and not doing too much and not doing too little, but just enough so people stay interested and stay involved in the characters"
