A weaver who makes intricate tapestries has to plan ahead. They have to practice a lot, so that they learn how to make the colors interact with each other so it makes a beautiful picture. In this way weavers are a lot like writers. To make the tapestry is a craft, but the colors and creativity also make it an art.
My creative writing teacher told us that we're not artists at all, but more like carpenters. She said that writing a story is no more different than building a house; with characters, a setting, a conflict, a climax, and a resolution. I think that she's only partially right. Every writer has their own style, just like every artist or weaver has their own touch and flair.
So if I'm going to write a short story maybe I should do a bunch of character sketches first and then I can stick them in a scenario. People are very similar to each other. We all have universal feelings, they just come in different flavors. I love my friends differently than my brother loves his friends, but both are still love. People also react to situations differently. To make a character we have to come up with their personality - all the flavors of universal feelings they have, how they think and process things.
It's weird to think that I'm a character too; under the pen of God who created me and who I can always trust to provide for me. The story of the world is so huge and intricate, I can't even imagine how God made it.
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