I can hear them talking to each other, and I've had whole conversations in my head btwn 2 or more characters, but sometimes I can't tell if it's me guiding a conversation the way I'd imagine it or the way it needs to go. I also wonder if I'm injecting too much of myself into each character even though they are unique in their own right and completely different from each other. There are some characters (supporting and only at a certain juncture within the story) I have problems with and can't 'hear' what they'd say... I can see how they act and I know their way of thinking, but I find I have great difficulty putting meaningful words into their mouths.

Sometimes. Definitely something I need to encourage them to do more often...

I agree with August Wilson because that's how it is for me. It's not my voice, it's theirs. Inside my head, I visualize the scene, clothing, mannerisms and how they express themselves. I just feel if a character is going to live beyond a screenplay, the actor has to bring that voice-I visualize that and it just flows.

Dug out a playwriting book of interviews to get a wee bit more from August Wilson. Feel it's worth sharing: "Once I learned to value and respect my characters, I could really hear them. What they are talking about may not seem to have anything to do with what you as a writer are writing about but it does. Let them talk and it will connect, because you as a writer will make it connect. The more my characters talk, the more I find out about them. So I encourage them. I tell them, "Tell me more." I just write it down and it starts to make connections." Do I hear mine? Yes. Some days easier than others. Some characters more than others, which signals some "work to do" on my part. Sometimes asking them questions or saying something like "tell me more" is met by croaking frogs .... I liken it to prayer, I guess. Ya gotta stick 'em out there into the Universe .. and then ya gotta wait for the answers. The trick is keeping busy (writing!! living!!) while you wait.

Yes - they show me who they are by what they want to talk about or how they want to respond to a particular situation. It's not me responding on behalf of them, but these characters responding. The more I write - the more they respond and become separate from me. Then it's like me interacting with the character too. Sometimes I ask myself, Would I like to be friends with him or her?