A scribble chat entails inviting one of your characters for a chat with you, the author. You can meet your character in the pub, in a café, for a walk along the beach, at their work or home – anywhere you like. You might choose a place where they feel uncomfortable; to start with, perhaps it’s better to pick a place where they feel happy.
Once you’re settled in, start asking them basic questions about themselves, and especially how they feel – yes, you’ll sound like the stereotypical therapist asking ‘And how does that make you feel?’, but that’s ok.
Write down their answers and how they move as they speak and listen to your questions. Do they fidget? Do they look around? Do they gesticulate? After a while, if you haven’t already nailed down their voice, you should start to hear it come out – their style of speaking (e.g. concise, flowery), what words they use while they’re thinking or need acknowledgement (e.g. ‘um’, ‘like’, ‘you know what I mean?’).
All of this will make writing about your character easier. You now know whether they feel comfortable in their own skins or not, what they think about stuff, how they feel about stuff. All the information you learn about your characters needn’t explicitly appear in your writing, but you can use it to inform your character’s actions and statements, their reactions and responses.
Rosie Johnston, who introduced me to scribble chats, has a myriad of questions you can ask your characters1. Feel free to go off on a tangent if your character leads you that way – try not to interrupt their flow. Sometimes, your character might be too tired or angry to talk to you; that’s ok, too. Observe what they’re like when they feel uncooperative. Sometimes, your character might surprise you.
Every verbal and physical response your character gives you all add up to a more rounded, realistic character, with complex emotions and a unique voice.