Battling with yourself

Do you find yourself battling against the characters you've created? Do you ever feel slightly confused or victimized by the choices your characters make? When you create, who takes the reins- you or your creation?

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Permalink Reply by Pamela Reese on October 25, 2008 at 12:11am: I have disliked choices my characters make on occasion, and yet, if you force your characters to follow your will, they cease to be independent individuals and lose their unique qualities.
TRUST your characters. Trust yourself when you write them.

On the other hand, if your characters are fighting you too hard--consider than possibly you have made choices THEY don't like. A good block can often be your character telling you that somewhere you have missed something of importance.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by david gerena on November 4, 2008 at 5:28pm: "when you create, who takes the reins-you or your creation?"

good point, even applies to painting.

cheers; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pamela Reese on November 9, 2008 at 12:03am: good point, even applies to painting.

true. My father was an amazing (and well known) painter. He often commented on how the art took on a life of its own. What he and his 'art' created working together was nothing short of amazing.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by H.K. Snapp on November 16, 2008 at 12:58pm: Confused, yes. Victimized, no. I'm sure my characters would be plotting my death though, if they weren't preoccupied with trying to stay alive.

When I'm blocked it's nearly always at least partly based in a failure of motive. Often the best thing I can do is ask them, "Why?" usually in a letter, and keep asking until I figure out what's the secret they don't want to tell. Nearly always that's at least partly to blame for damming up the story.

Don't know if this helps at all, but it's my 2¢.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Krakatau on February 23, 2009 at 12:27am: Oh, my creations totally take the reigns. Of course, while they are more or less in control of their own actions, I'm still in control of the world around them, so we have the understanding that if they act up, I throw plot at them.

Of course, I do that anyway.

I actually enjoy being surprised by my characters. I feel that if they take charge of their own actions, then I must be making them believable and well-fleshed out, as opposed to simply being two-dimensional plot-moving devices that I move around like chess pieces. :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kristy on March 25, 2009 at 5:55pm: I learned a while ago to not argue with my characters...lol. I tried to once and the piece that I wrote was.....not something that would inspire positive dinner table talk...lol. My stories are always much better when I don't argue with my characters. I even talk back to them...hopefully that doesn't make me insane...lol. I have even been known to talk to my partner about what my characters are telling me they want....lol. Just the other day one of the characters I am introducing in our second book told me he wanted to start out living in New Mexico. No arguments here. Confusions....yes...but not a single argument...LOL.

I have felt victimized by some of the choices my characters have made, but that goes away once the story is finished and I see how everything came together. Confused?? All the freaking time! LOL

I never keep the reins from my creations. My stories flow better if I just go with the flow. My characters know where they want the story to go and I trust them so.....

LOL...I don't know if this makes for a good writer or just a delusional person...though.....would those two be the same thing?? ;)

Kristy; ▶ Reply to This