C.C. Humphreys on how acting influences his writing
The actor, author and swordsman (yes) shares how the stage influences what he puts on the page.
C.C. Humphreys' latest novel, Plague, won the Arthur Ellis Award for best crime novel. He's now a writer, but he began a career as an actor - and what he learned on the stage has informed what he now puts on the page.
"My experience as an actor affects a lot of my writing. I obviously love characters. I love portraying characters. I always feel that when I am creating a character in a novel, I think about how he could eventually be played. I try to give him great lines, even the small parts. I've played too many terrible roles on television, where there seems to be nothing to play. So even when a servant comes on, I try to give him a little something. I love to drive action through dialogue. I think it's one of the more active ways of both pushing the story along while revealing character."
C.C. Humphreys' comments have been edited and condensed.