Susanna here, sitting in my writing room and waiting for my characters to lead me where they will.
I remember once listening to a famous Canadian literary writer (and no, I won’t name names) say adamantly, during a radio interview, that characters were mere creations, and as such, were under the complete control of the writer at all times, with the writer firmly laying out what the character would say and do, and the character falling into line—and so any writer who claimed that their characters took on a life of their own was a liar.
I remember my reaction was a blend of irritation and amusement—irritation being how I always feel whenever anybody in this business gets pretentious and assumes their way of writing is the only real way, and all other ways must be inferior, ignoring the one golden rule of writing: there’s no one “right” way to do it—every writer finds the way that works for them.
And amusement because I thought, “Well, you wouldn’t last a minute in MY writing room!”
One of the best Christmas presents I got this year was from my parents, who gave me a DVD of The Man Who Invented Christmas, which tells the tale of how Charles Dickens came to write his classic A Christmas Carol.
It’s a lovely film, and one I’ll be adding to my annual watch-every-Christmas pile, but my parents chose it mainly because every time Dickens creates a character in his story, that character becomes a three-dimensional person (visible only to him) who takes up space in his writing room, interacts with him and the other characters, argues with him, follows him around when he leaves the house, and permanently inhabits his world.
“You see? Just like your characters!” my parents said, and they were absolutely right.
My characters are stubborn. While I might be their creator, they were born from my subconscious mind and not my conscious will, appearing fully formed upon the page like neighbours on my doorstep, who reveal themselves to me by stages as we grow familiar with each other. They arrive with a backstory and a purpose that I’m often not fully aware of, and sometimes it’s not until they’re in conversation with somebody else midway through the novel that I’ll learn a piece of information that makes something clear to me about their motivation.
All I know is, they are leading ME. And if I try to push them in the wrong direction, they resist.
I’ll give you an example:
Recently, while working on one of the scenes in my novella, I was trying to hurry along one of the characters—Captain Vautour, a former buccaneer well into middle age, a large man, comfortably settled in the parlour of an inn at Portofino, where he’d been about to launch into a story that was pivotal to everything that followed. He’d been doing it in stops and starts, and being very conscious of my deadline and impatient to move on to the next scene, I tried to hurry him along.
He broke the fourth wall. In my mind—because I see my scenes like movies—Vautour turned directly to me, and said “All right, woman! Give me time!”
I thought of telling him that “all right” might not be proper speech for 1733, but he didn’t look in any mood to hear it, so I simply went and made a cup of coffee and came back and tried again, and let him run the scene the way he wanted to run it.
Because he was taking his time, there were moments where he would pause, and I would have to wait, too.
And in one of these moments, suddenly the movie in my mind changed completely, and instead of being in the parlour in Portofino I was on a terrace in Spain, beside the sea, and a flashy sportscar had just pulled up nearby, and Stuart Keith (Graham’s brother, from The Winter Sea, for those of you familiar with the book) was getting out and jogging up the steps, coming to talk to two new characters.
Now, I’m used to having characters from previous books wander into a book that I’m working on, but…
“Hang on,” I said to Stuart. “You’re not in the novella.” I looked around at the scene more closely, taking note of who was there, and where it was, and what that meant, and… “This,” I told him, “isn’t even the next novel. Or the one after that. It’s the novel after the novel after the next novel.”
Whereupon Stuart simply grinned and shrugged and said, “I know. But there was a pause.”
And then he and the other characters started to talk, and I had to open up an entirely new document on my computer and write down what they were saying, and store it away for that future book—because that’s when they wanted to give me that scene.
So no, Famous Canadian Literary Writer, my characters are most definitely NOT under my control, in the way you described.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’d love to hear from my fellow Word Wenches (and any other writers in our group here) whether you lead your characters or they lead you—and remember, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to writing!
For me there’s a lot of “I’m watching the scene unfold as if I’ve been dropped into the middle of a movie.”
Lots of “Look. That’s it. Hey! Wake up and catch it. Write it down quick while it happens.”
Most of the stuff that ends up in the books I didn’t sit down and consciously “make.” The characters say stuff and I copy their words.
For me there’s a lot of “I’m watching the scene unfold as if I’ve been dropped into the middle of a movie.”
Lots of “Look. That’s it. Hey! Wake up and catch it. Write it down quick while it happens.”
Most of the stuff that ends up in the books I didn’t sit down and consciously “make.” The characters say stuff and I copy their words.
For me there’s a lot of “I’m watching the scene unfold as if I’ve been dropped into the middle of a movie.”
Lots of “Look. That’s it. Hey! Wake up and catch it. Write it down quick while it happens.”
Most of the stuff that ends up in the books I didn’t sit down and consciously “make.” The characters say stuff and I copy their words.
For me there’s a lot of “I’m watching the scene unfold as if I’ve been dropped into the middle of a movie.”
Lots of “Look. That’s it. Hey! Wake up and catch it. Write it down quick while it happens.”
Most of the stuff that ends up in the books I didn’t sit down and consciously “make.” The characters say stuff and I copy their words.
For me there’s a lot of “I’m watching the scene unfold as if I’ve been dropped into the middle of a movie.”
Lots of “Look. That’s it. Hey! Wake up and catch it. Write it down quick while it happens.”
Most of the stuff that ends up in the books I didn’t sit down and consciously “make.” The characters say stuff and I copy their words.
Excellent post, Susanna. I’ve heard other authors say similar things about characters being under an author’s control, and while it might be true for them, I’m very much with you and Jo. If I try to make my characters fit the plot, they turn cardboard on me; if I follow where they lead, they’re three dimensional. And making unexpected turns and surprising me, and throwing up plot problems I then have to solve. Maybe it’s my subconscious at work, or maybe it’s “the muse” — but whatever it is, I’m grateful it happens.
Excellent post, Susanna. I’ve heard other authors say similar things about characters being under an author’s control, and while it might be true for them, I’m very much with you and Jo. If I try to make my characters fit the plot, they turn cardboard on me; if I follow where they lead, they’re three dimensional. And making unexpected turns and surprising me, and throwing up plot problems I then have to solve. Maybe it’s my subconscious at work, or maybe it’s “the muse” — but whatever it is, I’m grateful it happens.
Excellent post, Susanna. I’ve heard other authors say similar things about characters being under an author’s control, and while it might be true for them, I’m very much with you and Jo. If I try to make my characters fit the plot, they turn cardboard on me; if I follow where they lead, they’re three dimensional. And making unexpected turns and surprising me, and throwing up plot problems I then have to solve. Maybe it’s my subconscious at work, or maybe it’s “the muse” — but whatever it is, I’m grateful it happens.
Excellent post, Susanna. I’ve heard other authors say similar things about characters being under an author’s control, and while it might be true for them, I’m very much with you and Jo. If I try to make my characters fit the plot, they turn cardboard on me; if I follow where they lead, they’re three dimensional. And making unexpected turns and surprising me, and throwing up plot problems I then have to solve. Maybe it’s my subconscious at work, or maybe it’s “the muse” — but whatever it is, I’m grateful it happens.
Excellent post, Susanna. I’ve heard other authors say similar things about characters being under an author’s control, and while it might be true for them, I’m very much with you and Jo. If I try to make my characters fit the plot, they turn cardboard on me; if I follow where they lead, they’re three dimensional. And making unexpected turns and surprising me, and throwing up plot problems I then have to solve. Maybe it’s my subconscious at work, or maybe it’s “the muse” — but whatever it is, I’m grateful it happens.
I’m not a writer so can’t address the character issue. I just thought I’d mention that my husband (who must watch the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol each year) recently watched – and quite enjoyed – The Man Who Invented Christmas.
I’m not a writer so can’t address the character issue. I just thought I’d mention that my husband (who must watch the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol each year) recently watched – and quite enjoyed – The Man Who Invented Christmas.
I’m not a writer so can’t address the character issue. I just thought I’d mention that my husband (who must watch the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol each year) recently watched – and quite enjoyed – The Man Who Invented Christmas.
I’m not a writer so can’t address the character issue. I just thought I’d mention that my husband (who must watch the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol each year) recently watched – and quite enjoyed – The Man Who Invented Christmas.
I’m not a writer so can’t address the character issue. I just thought I’d mention that my husband (who must watch the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol each year) recently watched – and quite enjoyed – The Man Who Invented Christmas.
What a wonderful post, Susanna! I love it when you Wenches talk shop.
There was a Will Ferrell movie some years back—sorry, I don’t remember the title—in which he was a character in a story, trying to interact with the author as she wrote it. I’m fuzzy on the details. He somehow found out she was going to bump him off. Eventually he got through to her, they fell in love, and she changed the ending (in a rather gruesome way) so that he became human and they could be together. I hated the way the ending played out, which is probably why I don’t remember more about the story. MY characters would never agree to that ending. Or would they? Can characters do a shutdown?
What a wonderful post, Susanna! I love it when you Wenches talk shop.
There was a Will Ferrell movie some years back—sorry, I don’t remember the title—in which he was a character in a story, trying to interact with the author as she wrote it. I’m fuzzy on the details. He somehow found out she was going to bump him off. Eventually he got through to her, they fell in love, and she changed the ending (in a rather gruesome way) so that he became human and they could be together. I hated the way the ending played out, which is probably why I don’t remember more about the story. MY characters would never agree to that ending. Or would they? Can characters do a shutdown?
What a wonderful post, Susanna! I love it when you Wenches talk shop.
There was a Will Ferrell movie some years back—sorry, I don’t remember the title—in which he was a character in a story, trying to interact with the author as she wrote it. I’m fuzzy on the details. He somehow found out she was going to bump him off. Eventually he got through to her, they fell in love, and she changed the ending (in a rather gruesome way) so that he became human and they could be together. I hated the way the ending played out, which is probably why I don’t remember more about the story. MY characters would never agree to that ending. Or would they? Can characters do a shutdown?
What a wonderful post, Susanna! I love it when you Wenches talk shop.
There was a Will Ferrell movie some years back—sorry, I don’t remember the title—in which he was a character in a story, trying to interact with the author as she wrote it. I’m fuzzy on the details. He somehow found out she was going to bump him off. Eventually he got through to her, they fell in love, and she changed the ending (in a rather gruesome way) so that he became human and they could be together. I hated the way the ending played out, which is probably why I don’t remember more about the story. MY characters would never agree to that ending. Or would they? Can characters do a shutdown?
What a wonderful post, Susanna! I love it when you Wenches talk shop.
There was a Will Ferrell movie some years back—sorry, I don’t remember the title—in which he was a character in a story, trying to interact with the author as she wrote it. I’m fuzzy on the details. He somehow found out she was going to bump him off. Eventually he got through to her, they fell in love, and she changed the ending (in a rather gruesome way) so that he became human and they could be together. I hated the way the ending played out, which is probably why I don’t remember more about the story. MY characters would never agree to that ending. Or would they? Can characters do a shutdown?
Oh, yes. My characters are constantly surprising me. Once the person I thought was the murderer turned around in the next to last chapter and explained why she couldn’t have done it. Fortunately, there was someone else lurking back in chapter three who had a perfect motive. Unexpected connections between characters are what most often crop up. I’ve learned not to argue.
Oh, yes. My characters are constantly surprising me. Once the person I thought was the murderer turned around in the next to last chapter and explained why she couldn’t have done it. Fortunately, there was someone else lurking back in chapter three who had a perfect motive. Unexpected connections between characters are what most often crop up. I’ve learned not to argue.
Oh, yes. My characters are constantly surprising me. Once the person I thought was the murderer turned around in the next to last chapter and explained why she couldn’t have done it. Fortunately, there was someone else lurking back in chapter three who had a perfect motive. Unexpected connections between characters are what most often crop up. I’ve learned not to argue.
Oh, yes. My characters are constantly surprising me. Once the person I thought was the murderer turned around in the next to last chapter and explained why she couldn’t have done it. Fortunately, there was someone else lurking back in chapter three who had a perfect motive. Unexpected connections between characters are what most often crop up. I’ve learned not to argue.
Oh, yes. My characters are constantly surprising me. Once the person I thought was the murderer turned around in the next to last chapter and explained why she couldn’t have done it. Fortunately, there was someone else lurking back in chapter three who had a perfect motive. Unexpected connections between characters are what most often crop up. I’ve learned not to argue.
What a lovely post! It made me smile and then laugh out loud. (I’m looking forward to seeing Stuart again!) Yes, my characters tend to lead the way. Sometimes a secondary character will walk in and try to take over the story, but will usually agree to subside if I promise to give him his own story once I finish the current one. (It’s almost always a male character, usually a real charmer, who does this…)
What a lovely post! It made me smile and then laugh out loud. (I’m looking forward to seeing Stuart again!) Yes, my characters tend to lead the way. Sometimes a secondary character will walk in and try to take over the story, but will usually agree to subside if I promise to give him his own story once I finish the current one. (It’s almost always a male character, usually a real charmer, who does this…)
What a lovely post! It made me smile and then laugh out loud. (I’m looking forward to seeing Stuart again!) Yes, my characters tend to lead the way. Sometimes a secondary character will walk in and try to take over the story, but will usually agree to subside if I promise to give him his own story once I finish the current one. (It’s almost always a male character, usually a real charmer, who does this…)
What a lovely post! It made me smile and then laugh out loud. (I’m looking forward to seeing Stuart again!) Yes, my characters tend to lead the way. Sometimes a secondary character will walk in and try to take over the story, but will usually agree to subside if I promise to give him his own story once I finish the current one. (It’s almost always a male character, usually a real charmer, who does this…)
What a lovely post! It made me smile and then laugh out loud. (I’m looking forward to seeing Stuart again!) Yes, my characters tend to lead the way. Sometimes a secondary character will walk in and try to take over the story, but will usually agree to subside if I promise to give him his own story once I finish the current one. (It’s almost always a male character, usually a real charmer, who does this…)
Lovely post. I’m not a writer so nothing to add to that. Have been toying with buying the film about Dickens. Now you’ve convinced me. I definitely want to see it.
Lovely post. I’m not a writer so nothing to add to that. Have been toying with buying the film about Dickens. Now you’ve convinced me. I definitely want to see it.
Lovely post. I’m not a writer so nothing to add to that. Have been toying with buying the film about Dickens. Now you’ve convinced me. I definitely want to see it.
Lovely post. I’m not a writer so nothing to add to that. Have been toying with buying the film about Dickens. Now you’ve convinced me. I definitely want to see it.
Lovely post. I’m not a writer so nothing to add to that. Have been toying with buying the film about Dickens. Now you’ve convinced me. I definitely want to see it.
I love the writing phase when the characters start living and breathing, when I am thoroughly involved in my work in progress. I heard an interview with author Jess Walter who said he hated it when writers said characters came alive, seemed to think it was nonsense…and then he said that he’d been working on Beautiful Ruins for 15 years and it didn’t get written until the characters came alive and wrote it themselves!
I love the writing phase when the characters start living and breathing, when I am thoroughly involved in my work in progress. I heard an interview with author Jess Walter who said he hated it when writers said characters came alive, seemed to think it was nonsense…and then he said that he’d been working on Beautiful Ruins for 15 years and it didn’t get written until the characters came alive and wrote it themselves!
I love the writing phase when the characters start living and breathing, when I am thoroughly involved in my work in progress. I heard an interview with author Jess Walter who said he hated it when writers said characters came alive, seemed to think it was nonsense…and then he said that he’d been working on Beautiful Ruins for 15 years and it didn’t get written until the characters came alive and wrote it themselves!
I love the writing phase when the characters start living and breathing, when I am thoroughly involved in my work in progress. I heard an interview with author Jess Walter who said he hated it when writers said characters came alive, seemed to think it was nonsense…and then he said that he’d been working on Beautiful Ruins for 15 years and it didn’t get written until the characters came alive and wrote it themselves!
I love the writing phase when the characters start living and breathing, when I am thoroughly involved in my work in progress. I heard an interview with author Jess Walter who said he hated it when writers said characters came alive, seemed to think it was nonsense…and then he said that he’d been working on Beautiful Ruins for 15 years and it didn’t get written until the characters came alive and wrote it themselves!
I find this all fascinating.
I am not a writer so cannot attest to this, but I do find that, occasionally, I will be so engrossed in a story that when I put it down the characters are so embedded in my mind that they start doing, or saying things, that are not in the story. This doesn’t go very far, but when I resume the story it takes a few lines before I remember where the author is going.
I find this all fascinating.
I am not a writer so cannot attest to this, but I do find that, occasionally, I will be so engrossed in a story that when I put it down the characters are so embedded in my mind that they start doing, or saying things, that are not in the story. This doesn’t go very far, but when I resume the story it takes a few lines before I remember where the author is going.
I find this all fascinating.
I am not a writer so cannot attest to this, but I do find that, occasionally, I will be so engrossed in a story that when I put it down the characters are so embedded in my mind that they start doing, or saying things, that are not in the story. This doesn’t go very far, but when I resume the story it takes a few lines before I remember where the author is going.
I find this all fascinating.
I am not a writer so cannot attest to this, but I do find that, occasionally, I will be so engrossed in a story that when I put it down the characters are so embedded in my mind that they start doing, or saying things, that are not in the story. This doesn’t go very far, but when I resume the story it takes a few lines before I remember where the author is going.
I find this all fascinating.
I am not a writer so cannot attest to this, but I do find that, occasionally, I will be so engrossed in a story that when I put it down the characters are so embedded in my mind that they start doing, or saying things, that are not in the story. This doesn’t go very far, but when I resume the story it takes a few lines before I remember where the author is going.
So wonderfully expressed, Susanna. Thank you. I’ve had some doubts about my WIP because I’m not quite sure how it’s going to get to where I need it to, but I’ve also had some major issues with procrastination. I keep telling myself that if I just keep my bottom on the chair and my fingers moving, the story will take care of itself. And I agree with the other commenters – it will be fun to see Stuart again!
So wonderfully expressed, Susanna. Thank you. I’ve had some doubts about my WIP because I’m not quite sure how it’s going to get to where I need it to, but I’ve also had some major issues with procrastination. I keep telling myself that if I just keep my bottom on the chair and my fingers moving, the story will take care of itself. And I agree with the other commenters – it will be fun to see Stuart again!
So wonderfully expressed, Susanna. Thank you. I’ve had some doubts about my WIP because I’m not quite sure how it’s going to get to where I need it to, but I’ve also had some major issues with procrastination. I keep telling myself that if I just keep my bottom on the chair and my fingers moving, the story will take care of itself. And I agree with the other commenters – it will be fun to see Stuart again!
So wonderfully expressed, Susanna. Thank you. I’ve had some doubts about my WIP because I’m not quite sure how it’s going to get to where I need it to, but I’ve also had some major issues with procrastination. I keep telling myself that if I just keep my bottom on the chair and my fingers moving, the story will take care of itself. And I agree with the other commenters – it will be fun to see Stuart again!
So wonderfully expressed, Susanna. Thank you. I’ve had some doubts about my WIP because I’m not quite sure how it’s going to get to where I need it to, but I’ve also had some major issues with procrastination. I keep telling myself that if I just keep my bottom on the chair and my fingers moving, the story will take care of itself. And I agree with the other commenters – it will be fun to see Stuart again!
I’m kind of in the middle (as I so often am.) I create the characters and tell them where we’re going, but along the way, I discover more and more layers–and it’s clear to me what they will do and not do. I wish they DID write the books for me! It would be so much easier. *G*
I’m kind of in the middle (as I so often am.) I create the characters and tell them where we’re going, but along the way, I discover more and more layers–and it’s clear to me what they will do and not do. I wish they DID write the books for me! It would be so much easier. *G*
I’m kind of in the middle (as I so often am.) I create the characters and tell them where we’re going, but along the way, I discover more and more layers–and it’s clear to me what they will do and not do. I wish they DID write the books for me! It would be so much easier. *G*
I’m kind of in the middle (as I so often am.) I create the characters and tell them where we’re going, but along the way, I discover more and more layers–and it’s clear to me what they will do and not do. I wish they DID write the books for me! It would be so much easier. *G*
I’m kind of in the middle (as I so often am.) I create the characters and tell them where we’re going, but along the way, I discover more and more layers–and it’s clear to me what they will do and not do. I wish they DID write the books for me! It would be so much easier. *G*
Fascinating discussion!
It seems a little like the old division between plotters and pantsers with Mary Jo grabbing the middle ground.
I would love to hear an input from someone like Dorothy Sayers.Her characters, Lord Peter Whimsey, Bunter and inspector Parker, are so perfectly developed and the mystery plots are so well constructed that reading becomes a little like watching a jigsaw come together with the final picture only becoming clear when the last pieces are in place.
It seems to me that Sayers employs an almost mathematical precision in constructing the plots and I find it hard to imagine that random subconscious processes where characters independently mess with clues could play much of a role.
On the other hand, Like Anne, I do think that the subconscious mind does play a major role in the creative process so if I wrote exciting fiction rather than stuffy scientific stuff, I reckon I might occupy the center ground with Mary Jo.
Fascinating discussion!
It seems a little like the old division between plotters and pantsers with Mary Jo grabbing the middle ground.
I would love to hear an input from someone like Dorothy Sayers.Her characters, Lord Peter Whimsey, Bunter and inspector Parker, are so perfectly developed and the mystery plots are so well constructed that reading becomes a little like watching a jigsaw come together with the final picture only becoming clear when the last pieces are in place.
It seems to me that Sayers employs an almost mathematical precision in constructing the plots and I find it hard to imagine that random subconscious processes where characters independently mess with clues could play much of a role.
On the other hand, Like Anne, I do think that the subconscious mind does play a major role in the creative process so if I wrote exciting fiction rather than stuffy scientific stuff, I reckon I might occupy the center ground with Mary Jo.
Fascinating discussion!
It seems a little like the old division between plotters and pantsers with Mary Jo grabbing the middle ground.
I would love to hear an input from someone like Dorothy Sayers.Her characters, Lord Peter Whimsey, Bunter and inspector Parker, are so perfectly developed and the mystery plots are so well constructed that reading becomes a little like watching a jigsaw come together with the final picture only becoming clear when the last pieces are in place.
It seems to me that Sayers employs an almost mathematical precision in constructing the plots and I find it hard to imagine that random subconscious processes where characters independently mess with clues could play much of a role.
On the other hand, Like Anne, I do think that the subconscious mind does play a major role in the creative process so if I wrote exciting fiction rather than stuffy scientific stuff, I reckon I might occupy the center ground with Mary Jo.
Fascinating discussion!
It seems a little like the old division between plotters and pantsers with Mary Jo grabbing the middle ground.
I would love to hear an input from someone like Dorothy Sayers.Her characters, Lord Peter Whimsey, Bunter and inspector Parker, are so perfectly developed and the mystery plots are so well constructed that reading becomes a little like watching a jigsaw come together with the final picture only becoming clear when the last pieces are in place.
It seems to me that Sayers employs an almost mathematical precision in constructing the plots and I find it hard to imagine that random subconscious processes where characters independently mess with clues could play much of a role.
On the other hand, Like Anne, I do think that the subconscious mind does play a major role in the creative process so if I wrote exciting fiction rather than stuffy scientific stuff, I reckon I might occupy the center ground with Mary Jo.
Fascinating discussion!
It seems a little like the old division between plotters and pantsers with Mary Jo grabbing the middle ground.
I would love to hear an input from someone like Dorothy Sayers.Her characters, Lord Peter Whimsey, Bunter and inspector Parker, are so perfectly developed and the mystery plots are so well constructed that reading becomes a little like watching a jigsaw come together with the final picture only becoming clear when the last pieces are in place.
It seems to me that Sayers employs an almost mathematical precision in constructing the plots and I find it hard to imagine that random subconscious processes where characters independently mess with clues could play much of a role.
On the other hand, Like Anne, I do think that the subconscious mind does play a major role in the creative process so if I wrote exciting fiction rather than stuffy scientific stuff, I reckon I might occupy the center ground with Mary Jo.
Sometimes I have ideas, sometimes the characters have ideas… it’s very collaborative. I have learned that forcing them in a desired direction definitely either stalls the process or makes them turn 2D. And if someone says they fully control their characters… I don’t trust it. It’s probably a personality thing. I just believe that in letting go and letting “inspiration” take you where it will, it opens you up to new ideas and possibilities. But I’m also still working on my first novel (for going on a decade), so what do I know?? Lol
Sometimes I have ideas, sometimes the characters have ideas… it’s very collaborative. I have learned that forcing them in a desired direction definitely either stalls the process or makes them turn 2D. And if someone says they fully control their characters… I don’t trust it. It’s probably a personality thing. I just believe that in letting go and letting “inspiration” take you where it will, it opens you up to new ideas and possibilities. But I’m also still working on my first novel (for going on a decade), so what do I know?? Lol
Sometimes I have ideas, sometimes the characters have ideas… it’s very collaborative. I have learned that forcing them in a desired direction definitely either stalls the process or makes them turn 2D. And if someone says they fully control their characters… I don’t trust it. It’s probably a personality thing. I just believe that in letting go and letting “inspiration” take you where it will, it opens you up to new ideas and possibilities. But I’m also still working on my first novel (for going on a decade), so what do I know?? Lol
Sometimes I have ideas, sometimes the characters have ideas… it’s very collaborative. I have learned that forcing them in a desired direction definitely either stalls the process or makes them turn 2D. And if someone says they fully control their characters… I don’t trust it. It’s probably a personality thing. I just believe that in letting go and letting “inspiration” take you where it will, it opens you up to new ideas and possibilities. But I’m also still working on my first novel (for going on a decade), so what do I know?? Lol
Sometimes I have ideas, sometimes the characters have ideas… it’s very collaborative. I have learned that forcing them in a desired direction definitely either stalls the process or makes them turn 2D. And if someone says they fully control their characters… I don’t trust it. It’s probably a personality thing. I just believe that in letting go and letting “inspiration” take you where it will, it opens you up to new ideas and possibilities. But I’m also still working on my first novel (for going on a decade), so what do I know?? Lol
I’m new to writing and finally overcoming my fear of letting people see my work. My mentor has stressed writing everything into a “Book Bible” and outline and using that as a guideline. However, like the artist, Bob Ross, I believe in “Happy Accidents.” Sometimes letting my characters have free reign leads to nothing but chaos, other times they deliver gems. For example, I gave my hero some time alone after he heard that his injuries would end his career in the Army. What else is a third son of a Nobleman to do but serve his King and Country, he certainly was not one for the contemplative life or the priesthood. He’s alone in America, so he’s sitting in a Large comfortable chair with a copy of “Gulliver’s Travels” and he starts evaluating his skill set and how he could make a living either in England or possibly in America. I had no idea until I gave him the reigns in that scene what this Dragoon was capable of doing. In another scene he is unpacking his saddle bags gave me an opportunity to eavesdrop on his thoughts of his family life. I find myself letting the characters have the scene more often and am surprised at what I’m capable of writing.
I’m new to writing and finally overcoming my fear of letting people see my work. My mentor has stressed writing everything into a “Book Bible” and outline and using that as a guideline. However, like the artist, Bob Ross, I believe in “Happy Accidents.” Sometimes letting my characters have free reign leads to nothing but chaos, other times they deliver gems. For example, I gave my hero some time alone after he heard that his injuries would end his career in the Army. What else is a third son of a Nobleman to do but serve his King and Country, he certainly was not one for the contemplative life or the priesthood. He’s alone in America, so he’s sitting in a Large comfortable chair with a copy of “Gulliver’s Travels” and he starts evaluating his skill set and how he could make a living either in England or possibly in America. I had no idea until I gave him the reigns in that scene what this Dragoon was capable of doing. In another scene he is unpacking his saddle bags gave me an opportunity to eavesdrop on his thoughts of his family life. I find myself letting the characters have the scene more often and am surprised at what I’m capable of writing.
I’m new to writing and finally overcoming my fear of letting people see my work. My mentor has stressed writing everything into a “Book Bible” and outline and using that as a guideline. However, like the artist, Bob Ross, I believe in “Happy Accidents.” Sometimes letting my characters have free reign leads to nothing but chaos, other times they deliver gems. For example, I gave my hero some time alone after he heard that his injuries would end his career in the Army. What else is a third son of a Nobleman to do but serve his King and Country, he certainly was not one for the contemplative life or the priesthood. He’s alone in America, so he’s sitting in a Large comfortable chair with a copy of “Gulliver’s Travels” and he starts evaluating his skill set and how he could make a living either in England or possibly in America. I had no idea until I gave him the reigns in that scene what this Dragoon was capable of doing. In another scene he is unpacking his saddle bags gave me an opportunity to eavesdrop on his thoughts of his family life. I find myself letting the characters have the scene more often and am surprised at what I’m capable of writing.
I’m new to writing and finally overcoming my fear of letting people see my work. My mentor has stressed writing everything into a “Book Bible” and outline and using that as a guideline. However, like the artist, Bob Ross, I believe in “Happy Accidents.” Sometimes letting my characters have free reign leads to nothing but chaos, other times they deliver gems. For example, I gave my hero some time alone after he heard that his injuries would end his career in the Army. What else is a third son of a Nobleman to do but serve his King and Country, he certainly was not one for the contemplative life or the priesthood. He’s alone in America, so he’s sitting in a Large comfortable chair with a copy of “Gulliver’s Travels” and he starts evaluating his skill set and how he could make a living either in England or possibly in America. I had no idea until I gave him the reigns in that scene what this Dragoon was capable of doing. In another scene he is unpacking his saddle bags gave me an opportunity to eavesdrop on his thoughts of his family life. I find myself letting the characters have the scene more often and am surprised at what I’m capable of writing.
I’m new to writing and finally overcoming my fear of letting people see my work. My mentor has stressed writing everything into a “Book Bible” and outline and using that as a guideline. However, like the artist, Bob Ross, I believe in “Happy Accidents.” Sometimes letting my characters have free reign leads to nothing but chaos, other times they deliver gems. For example, I gave my hero some time alone after he heard that his injuries would end his career in the Army. What else is a third son of a Nobleman to do but serve his King and Country, he certainly was not one for the contemplative life or the priesthood. He’s alone in America, so he’s sitting in a Large comfortable chair with a copy of “Gulliver’s Travels” and he starts evaluating his skill set and how he could make a living either in England or possibly in America. I had no idea until I gave him the reigns in that scene what this Dragoon was capable of doing. In another scene he is unpacking his saddle bags gave me an opportunity to eavesdrop on his thoughts of his family life. I find myself letting the characters have the scene more often and am surprised at what I’m capable of writing.
J.R. Ward, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, wrote a book about her process mentioning that when she tried to control what her characters were saying, the dialogue stopped. She had nothing coming through. The brothers refused to talk.
When she realized her own interference was causing this, she let go, and dialogue flooded in from each of them.
All her characters in this brotherhood waited until she got out of the way to resume their energy through her.
J.R. Ward, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, wrote a book about her process mentioning that when she tried to control what her characters were saying, the dialogue stopped. She had nothing coming through. The brothers refused to talk.
When she realized her own interference was causing this, she let go, and dialogue flooded in from each of them.
All her characters in this brotherhood waited until she got out of the way to resume their energy through her.
J.R. Ward, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, wrote a book about her process mentioning that when she tried to control what her characters were saying, the dialogue stopped. She had nothing coming through. The brothers refused to talk.
When she realized her own interference was causing this, she let go, and dialogue flooded in from each of them.
All her characters in this brotherhood waited until she got out of the way to resume their energy through her.
J.R. Ward, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, wrote a book about her process mentioning that when she tried to control what her characters were saying, the dialogue stopped. She had nothing coming through. The brothers refused to talk.
When she realized her own interference was causing this, she let go, and dialogue flooded in from each of them.
All her characters in this brotherhood waited until she got out of the way to resume their energy through her.
J.R. Ward, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, wrote a book about her process mentioning that when she tried to control what her characters were saying, the dialogue stopped. She had nothing coming through. The brothers refused to talk.
When she realized her own interference was causing this, she let go, and dialogue flooded in from each of them.
All her characters in this brotherhood waited until she got out of the way to resume their energy through her.
I have never tried to write fiction, but I wish I had the imagination for it!
I have never tried to write fiction, but I wish I had the imagination for it!
I have never tried to write fiction, but I wish I had the imagination for it!
I have never tried to write fiction, but I wish I had the imagination for it!
I have never tried to write fiction, but I wish I had the imagination for it!
A Rebellious Heroine, by John Kendrick Bangs, is a delightful novel printed in 1896 that tells the story of a heroine with a mind of her own, who won’t give her poor author the time of day.
If you’re in the mood for humor and writing-about-writing, in a period piece that fits perfectly with this discussion, check it out at Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3324
A Rebellious Heroine, by John Kendrick Bangs, is a delightful novel printed in 1896 that tells the story of a heroine with a mind of her own, who won’t give her poor author the time of day.
If you’re in the mood for humor and writing-about-writing, in a period piece that fits perfectly with this discussion, check it out at Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3324
A Rebellious Heroine, by John Kendrick Bangs, is a delightful novel printed in 1896 that tells the story of a heroine with a mind of her own, who won’t give her poor author the time of day.
If you’re in the mood for humor and writing-about-writing, in a period piece that fits perfectly with this discussion, check it out at Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3324
A Rebellious Heroine, by John Kendrick Bangs, is a delightful novel printed in 1896 that tells the story of a heroine with a mind of her own, who won’t give her poor author the time of day.
If you’re in the mood for humor and writing-about-writing, in a period piece that fits perfectly with this discussion, check it out at Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3324
A Rebellious Heroine, by John Kendrick Bangs, is a delightful novel printed in 1896 that tells the story of a heroine with a mind of her own, who won’t give her poor author the time of day.
If you’re in the mood for humor and writing-about-writing, in a period piece that fits perfectly with this discussion, check it out at Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3324