Sometimes I know exactly where a story comes from. Other times I’m unsure. At the very least, however, I can work out what inspired it. A Room For Ryel does not fall into either of these categories. Despite that, it began with sitting down and letting a character appear. Then simply writing. Given that I didn’t know what was going to happen, I had to trust that character every step of the way.

When I wrote the opening scene for A Room For Ryel, I didn’t have a story name. Only Ryel and his dad pulling up outside what was to be their new home. With Ryel pretending to be asleep. That meant he was struggling to face what was about to unfold. But what was that? And why was he avoiding it?

Every story needs a problem. What was Ryel’s issue? I let him reveal it in a backward kind of way, by saying what it wasn’t instead of what it was. As the scene unfolded, other characters presented themselves. By the time the scene was done, I had a protagonist, an antagonist (in the form of a situation), and four other characters who would be closest to Ryel on his story journey. And, finally, his actual problem.

With all the ingredients I needed, I then let Ryel do what he must. My job was to get to know him and let him be true to himself. He wasn’t a fusspot who caused grief for others. He was a gentle, introspective young person whose character developed as I wrote. That meant I needed to think about action for the story that came from other places.

Obviously, there would be the bickering and carry on that existed with three boys sharing a bedroom. Beyond that, what the narrative needed was something that would add drama of another sort. All three boys played sport. Great! There could be a challenge that decided the outcome of his tale.

This didn’t necessarily mean Ryel would get what he wanted. It merely ensured there would be something to hope for. Of course, that wasn’t enough. There needed to be another obstacle that made it tricky to know if he’d even get to play. Something that began with the change that moving to his new home brought.

Aha! The fact that he couldn’t sleep well due to sharing a room with others was perfect. It allowed things to go wrong. It also meant that, as the story progressed, things could get trickier for him. The plot would have enough happening. Now I just had to let it happen.

As his tale grew, I still didn’t know where Ryel had come from. What I did know, however, was that I didn’t need to worry about that. All I had to do was understand that he was like any of us, stepping through life, facing whatever our circumstances bring us. The most important thing was to trust him. Let him take control. So that’s what I did. And that’s where his story came from.