What author was quoted saying this about characters...?

Question

An author wasn't appreciated for saying this but, (she) had claimed that her characters spoke through her, that for her they were almost alive, and she wrote for them. I feel the same way but this is not a popular belief.
Thanx.

Answer 1

this sounds like something Jane Austen had said. in fact, in letters to her sister she would often say that she "saw" some of her characters on the streets.

Answer 2

I think this sort of identification is fairly common. I heard the late writer Marion Zimmer Bradley speak about it more than once. For instance, she spoke once about a character who had started speaking in her head while she was working on a book. She wrote down what he was saying, but then realized it was wrong and said she had to tell him he wasn't part of this book and asked him to leave and come back later when she could tell his story. I don't know if he ever did.

Answer 3

I think lots of writers have always felt that way--I read a lot about a writer talking about how in a story, one character will be so real that he takes over the story and pushes it in directions the actual writer never expected.

Answer 4

Sounds like something quirky Anne Rice would say. I can't prove it with research and I could be wrong, but I seem to remember her saying that about her Lestat and Louis characters.

Answer 5

I don't know who this was, but it's a very common feeling for authors.

Answer 6

J.K. Rowling?