Not a creature was stirring, not even Mouse.

I may have to use the headline in a new story (or possibly novel) I'm writing, as the main character (or at least a very important one) is nicknamed Mouse.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want to give advice again! Mouse was actually inspired by an advert (yes, Mouse is inspired by Alexi Wasser, but changed to my liking of course). You may ask why that's important, but it's really not. So why am I including it? To say that characters can come from anywhere. It's kind of like trying to find the perfect actor for a role in a movie, is it not? I mean, all you need is a very basic description and flesh them out as you go (or start out with a fully fleshed out character in your mind and describe them little by little to the reader). All you need is a good source (even just your brain, but I've found -at least with my writing- that charaters I generate with no inspiration are kind of pathetic, shallow, and boring).

Pick traits you like, but make sure the character has a few flaws. I think I've said this before, actually, and got argument from people because I used the word humanize and someone talked about a whiny cthulhu being a horrible character, though I NEVER said you had to make them human. I meant humans have flaws, so make your character, no matter what they are, have at least one flaw (preferably a personality flaw, though physical flaws are okay to an extent, but it would have to be significant enough to be used as a plot device).

Also, make sure your characters have names that tie in with your story. You don't want one named Brawn Thundereagle, another named Staxonailienude, and another named James. That's just ridiculous, see? The only time I can see that being okay is in a time-compressed world with extreme sci-fi and fantasy, but I could only see it work as a comedy. Feel free to prove me wrong. I'd love to read it if it's good enough.

Anne Rice's Advice to New Writers

"ADVICE TO A NEW WRITER: There are no rules in this profession. Do what is good for you. Read books and watch films that stimulate your writing. In your writing, go where the pain is; go where the pleasure is; go where the excitement is. Believe in your own original approach, voice, characters, story. Ignore critics. HAVE NERVE. BE STUBBORN.

"'Write about what you know' is tricky advice. If I'd followed it, I would never have written 11 books about European vampires, or books about a bewitched family of psychic people. I say 'Write what you want to write. Write the book you want to read. Write what delights you.'

"No, you don't need any formal education to be a writer. And remember nobody can stop you from being a writer. Just do it. And yes, ignore critics. You have to. Many great writers got scathing reviews from peers and critics. Forge ahead."

-Anne Rice, Facebook.com, 07 Dec 2009

I didn't get to do the interview, but apparently, I wouldn't be the only one asking...understandably so; she's definitely one of the five best writers of the 20th and 21st centuries, if not all time. (If you didn't pick it up for some strange reason, or if you just like to read my overkill explanations, I take no credit for interviewing her. This was something she did in response to all the other people asking for her advice).