When Characters Become More Than Just Words

Even after the last word is typed, they linger.

Sometimes, finishing a story feels like losing a friend. I catch myself wondering how the characters are doing, even though I know they’re just words on a page. But maybe that’s the point—they’re more than words. They’re pieces of us, reflections of our fears, hopes, and everything we’ve carried while writing their story.

As authors, we spend months, som…