"It's why you create characters: so you can argue with yourself"

This quote by Michael Ondaatje speaks with the power of storytelling and the imaginative procedure. By developing characters, we are able to explore different perspectives and participate in a dialogue with ourselves. Through this process, we can explore our own beliefs and values, and challenge our own presumptions. We can also utilize our characters to explore tough subjects and scenarios, and to acquire a better understanding of the world around us. By creating characters, we can likewise gain insight into our own feelings and motivations, and get a much better understanding of our own habits. Eventually, developing characters permits us to engage in a meaningful dialogue with ourselves, and to gain a much better understanding of our own thoughts and feelings.