Why Some Characters Haunt Us: Behind the Scenes with Two Dark Literary Fiction Authors
Even though an ocean sits between us, we spend an unreasonable amount of time talking—usually on Zoom, often with tea or midnight red wine, always circling back to the gothic, character-driven stories we can’t stop writing. As we are both authors of dark literary fiction, our conversations inevitably drift into the strange corners of our worlds: the characters who haunt us, the stories we unravel, and the narrative threads that won’t release their grip.
We often find ourselves thinking, We should be sharing this with readers and other writers. Because while we’re writing partners, we’re also best friends—and that means the line between life and story is deliciously thin.
Here’s a transcript from one of our recent talks, where we found ourselves discussing those characters who simply refuse to let go, even long after we’ve typed “the end.”
NICOLE: So, my darkling…tell me how you’re feeling now that The Haunting of Wounded Birds has taken flight. Are you quite alright? 🥹
BEVERLEY: To be honest I’m a little bit bereft. I’ve lived with Jackdaw and co for so long now, and there’s something so beautifully honest and innocent about Jackdaw which means that he’s woven himself against my heart in such an organic way.
NICOLE: You know I’m the same way…it’s a bit of broken record convo for us, isn’t it? It’s definitely part of the struggle of the way we write. It’s not their story so much as their personalities. They become like family, or at least like very close friends…and when you stop spending every waking moment with them, it’s a kind of grief. Even a mourning period.
BEVERLEY: This is such a truth. And I was only thinking recently that I never truly say goodbye to my creations. My mind is like a haunted retreat where some are like noisy guests trying their utmost to convince me that their story isn’t quite done and that whatever I’m writing would be much better with their presence, and some just quietly wander the halls, popping into the kitchen for a drink and to say ‘hi, remember me?’ And, of course, I always do.
NICOLE: Yes, this! The other day we were just wondering how other writers seem to move seamlessly into a new project, and that’s obviously very hard for us when we’re still living in the world of our last book. Especially when we don’t want to leave, or just aren’t ready to let it go. What was it that Anne Rice said about Lestat, something about him always being with her?
BEVERLEY: Oh, yes. I remember reading that she said Lestat was always on her shoulder telling her what to write and I loved that idea. And now years later we fully understand as that’s what our creations do.
NICOLE: I’ll admit that there isn’t a single day that goes by where I don’t think about Vauquelin, Éric, and all of our vampires from A Conclave of Crimson. And now I have to add Jackdaw to that, because even though he’s yours, he’s definitely a part of me, too. I’ll always be thinking of him 🥹.
BEVERLEY: You know Jackdaw has always belonged to you, too, because you were the first person to read about him when I spoon fed you early chapters bit by bit!
NICOLE: I love him so much. And you couldn’t write them fast enough! I needed them like a drug! So, back to what I was saying earlier about other authors moving seamlessly onto the next project, I remember when you first started Birds you only had a seedling of a story. That seems to be how it works with both of us. Even though we talk about it quite a bit, it’s a good time to remind our readers that we never outline anything. I don’t recall when we first learned the term Discovery Writer, but that fits us perfectly, doesn’t it?
BEVERLEY: It absolutely does. There’s no right way to write a book. You need to find out what works for you. Some writers need outlines or even chapter by chapter notes, and some (like us) discover the story along with our characters. I’m not sure if I could even begin to outline as I’ve written all my books just hanging onto the shirt tails of my characters. That feeling when something slips into place and becomes crystal clear is such a high.
NICOLE: Oh gosh, it so is. I’d be absolutely hamstrung if I had to stick to an outline. And something else we both understand is that when the characters stop talking to us, and dig in their heels, we’ve gone down the wrong path. And we have to stop and consider our next steps very carefully…and most importantly, not make them do something they clearly don’t want to do.
BEVERLEY: Most people would say that we’re the ones holding the reins (or writing the story) therefore we have full control over what happens. Yeah…it doesn’t work like that. I mean have you ever tried to get Moth (#iykyk) to do something he doesn’t want to do? 🤭
NICOLE: Yeah, perfect example, that one! The way we write is like going into a movie blind, and watching the story unfold as a viewer or reader would. It’s such a magical feeling. Almost like when readers say they wish they could read certain books for the first time again. I love that feeling. And if we weren’t so similar in our writing techniques, I don’t think A Conclave of Crimson would have happened. And then, that famous incident in the early days of writing it, when we were like, ‘Oh my god, what the hell are these two DOING?’
BEVERLEY: How could I ever forget that scene? It’s a prime example of characters taking over, issuing demands, leaving us flailing in their wake! They knew exactly what they were doing even if we didn’t.
NICOLE: And my god, do they ever put us through the paces! I actually love that there’s no one ‘right’ way to write, because I think that’s what allows such a delicious variety of stories and characters to be born into the world. I can’t wait for us to meet the next ones 🥰
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To the writers who found this post, what do you think? What is your process? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
