Good afternoon, lovely readers! Today I’d like to admit to you something I’m a tad embarrassed about. I’m currently experiencing separation anxiety from the characters in my middle grade WIP, Speak Your Mind, and I HAVEN’T EVEN FINISHED WRITING IT YET!!!

Feel free to laugh… I know how deranged I sound! But, to be honest, the fact that my characters’ story will soon be coming to an end, (two chapters away, by my guess), is breaking my heart.

I started writing Speak Your Mind in December 2010–and now, seven years and some change later–these characters feel like they’re my kids… and I don’t even have real kids! So, my fake babies have overcome their struggles and no longer need me. Therefore, I’m one sad character momma! Of course, Victoria and Aiden are going to be involved in my future still-in-brainstorm-mode WIP Tales of an Awkward Turtle, but it won’t be the same,  because they’re not the main characters! I’ve considered writing a sequel, but I also don’t want to beat a dead horse. I don’t currently have any ideas for a continuation for their story until they reach high school, and even then, it’s just small ideas. So despite the fact that they’ll be alive in print forever come November when I eventually force myself to type the final period at the end of my manuscript, to me, it’ll feel as if they’re gone forever.

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s taken seven years for me to write this novel, but I don’t remember feeling this strongly about CBTHOACG ending when I finished it. Then again, the characterization in that one isn’t as strong as Speak Your Mind‘s, being that I was a newbie to writing novels back then, and a naive little fifteen-year-old.

Anyway… has anyone else ever experienced separation anxiety from your own fictional characters? Share your testimony in the comments so we can grieve over our fake people together! XD

-Allyson 😀