My latest Meg Daniels Mystery Weekender, LOST WEEKEND, was within days of being finished when I tripped myself and broke my dominant wrist. Thank heavens. Well, thank heavens only from the viewpoint that it put the novella on the shelf since I couldn't write. Literally--I couldn't type. By the time I could go back to typing, I had a new perspective on my amateur sleuth Meg Daniels's behavior. I realized I was holding her back.
Years ago when I took the Meyers Briggs personality test, my results were INTP. The "I" meant that I was an introvert. On the extrovert borderline but an introvert. Clearly, that was wrong. I was an extrovert. Anyone could see that.
Okay, I didn't like to call attention to myself, but I was perfectly fine if I found myself the center of attention. I might not seek to dominate a conversation, but there were times I did. I worked as a trainer. An extroverted trainer. I came to understand that if I was the designated center of attention, I was comfortable. If I wasn't put in charge, I found it hard to speak. And, if I did? I worried, second-guessed what I said. Mulled it over. Brooded. Perhaps, I was more of an "I" than I thought.
That didn't mean my amateur sleuth had to be an introvert as well. I was once on a panel with thriller writer, Brad Parks. The theme of the panel was how we differed from our characters. We were encouraged to respond as our characters. Brad had told a very funny story at the banquet the night before about singing a speech. As Meg, I sang (to the tune of "Maria") "Brad Parks. I'm sharing a stage with Brad Parks." I added that the difference between Meg and me was that I would never do that, but she would.
In LOST WEEKEND, Meg's fiancé, Andy, goes missing. It is perfectly reasonable for a thought to flit through her mind that, if there is a simple explanation for his absence, he might not be happy that his name and face are plastered all over town. Flit is the key word. Meg wouldn't let that stop her.
You learn a lot about your characters from readers. One told me what she liked about Meg was she never gave up. She wouldn't let introvert tendencies stop her. He's missing. Of course, she wants to call attention to her search for him.
It took a broken wrist for me to figure that out. The search begins in January!
