First of all, surprise—it’s Friday. And it’s noon. When did that happen? Where did this week go? It’s time for my weekly post! What to write?!?
I suppose this is going to be about what occurred while I was writing last night. Well, this morning, really… I do my best writing when I’m a tad out of it, and there have been a few times where the craziest things play out in my stories. Things I’d never considered.
A few months back, a character I thought was dead came back into my book. Then recently, I found out there’s a bit of bloodlust going on with these fae I’m writing about. Sure wasn’t expecting that one! Last night, I discovered there’s a whole element of water and drowning that my character experiences halfway through the book. It actually solves a problem I’ve been having with the first chapter of my novel (nowhere near the part I was writing). Apparently, Alexis is going to almost drown at the beginning. Don’t know why, but who am I to question my characters, right?!
Does this happen to other writers? To you all??
I’m not one to use outlines. I get a main idea and go with it. But, even on chapters where I have a good idea where things are going, events hurl themselves onto the page from out of nowhere.
Do you force your story to do what you, the author, has in mind for it, or do you let your characters tell the stories?
And are you as surprised as often as I am?
Do tell!
![[del.icio.us]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[kirtsy]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kirtsy.png)
![[MySpace]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Reddit]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Email]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Since winning her first writing competition at a young age, Eden Tyler, has only fallen more in love with the written word. She uses her English, Psychology, and Sociology backgrounds to create depth to her own stories and novels while contributing to and running websites about writing. This is what fulfills her, along with working as Co-Editor for Fuel Your Writing, but she also enjoys the freelance work that puts food on the table (and that ever-essential roof overhead) for her family.
4 Comments so far
Leave a comment
My characters totally have minds of their owns. They say and do things I’d never do in a million years.
Strange, this world of fiction writing.
[Reply]
By Sarah on 07.31.09 1:04 pm | Permalink
I find sometimes I THINK they are doing things they want to… but then I realize I have been guiding it all along. (Kinda Like With Kiddles?)
Those are the portions that come out in the rewrite. At least for me. Those are the square pegs in round holes, they just take longer to notice. The problem is staying subjective. I went to a class taught by a published novelist and he said that very same thing. Let your characters do what they want to do. And I was like “p’sha… I ALWAYS do!” and then an agent read my book and said “do try to let your characters do what they want to do…” and I was like: “WHAT?”
So, sometimes we can convince ourselves that we are leaving them be when we really aren’t!
[Reply]
By suzanne on 07.31.09 1:16 pm | Permalink
YES!
I was writing and this guy just appeared in the doorway… turns out he’s my favorite character in my book and the sequel will be HIS story!
[Reply]
By Jamie on 07.31.09 1:18 pm | Permalink
All the time. I’m not one to set down and make outlines either. Instead, I’ll create some characters and get them pretty well developed in my head, as far as personality, behaviour, and all that. Then I give them a setting and I set off writing. Sometimes I have a vague idea as to what direction I want to take the story, but how the characters get there is always up to them. And yes, more often than not, it really surprises me how they do it.
[Reply]
By AmberInGlass on 08.01.09 11:15 am | Permalink
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>