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| Photo credit: junxdelux on Flickr |
Whether it’s a side character who out-muscles another for the role of love interest, a minor character who makes himself a major player, or a character who does something so completely shocking and unplanned that I have to pay attention to him…I love it. And those were all real examples.
To me, when my characters start taking control and doing things I hadn’t planned, it’s a sign that the story is taking a life of it’s own. It’s exciting, because it’s then that I know I’ve made the leap from writing to connect the dots (because I’m an outliner), to actually falling into the story.
And while I don’t like to make definitive statements, I suspect it’ll never get it old.
Now I want to hear from you: do your characters surprise you?
Twitter-sized bite:
Writers, do your characters surprise you? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
19 comments:
Yes actually, my characters will do this quite often. For example on of my characters insisted on being an inventor in addition to a warrior. The other thing that happens to me is I will write some little detail in Chapter 1 then when re-reading everything I see that that little detail (that just kinda came out and I thought was unimportant) foreshadowed some huge event in Chapter 7. It is kinda weird especially when I didn't even know that big event was going to happen until I wrote it.
I've had the same experience as Lauren. Either that things click together in a way I never intended while writing or by being surprised by my characters. I have a bad guy sidekick who turned into my MC's biggest supporter. I've also had the opposite happen - a good guy who betrayed. I think it's mostly my secondary characters who surprise me.
That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about! I love it, especially when it changes something in a big way. :)
I have to agree with that—oftentimes it's the secondary characters that do or reveal something about themselves that takes me by surprise. Although I did have my MC shock me in a major way with my NaNo novel...
It is like the story already knows how it is suppose to go but it refuses to tell you all at once because it loves to watch us discover things for ourselves.
That's such a fun way of looking at it! I love it.
All the time! I'm such a pantser though, I generally know the starting point & the end I'd like to see, however that end is almost never the ending I get. Usually the one that comes is far more organic for the characters. I've also had many minor characters pipe up too much & become major characters. I have one who was a one-line character in a story & ended up becoming a secondary love interest.
I have this so often too! My prereader actually commented on a foreshadowing which was perfect but was in no way intentional (are we supposed to admit that LOL)
I had a CP point out a theme in my MS to me once and I was like WOW YOU'RE RIGHT—I mean, yeah, totally planned. Psh.
See, that doubly makes sense to me for pantsers, seeing how everything happens as it happens (or while you're writing, anyway). Also, it seems to me that usually secondary characters are most adept at surprising us.
I think that probably has something to do with it, although I find that oftentimes I don't really know much more than basics about my main characters when I start writing. I tend to get to know them as I write, but they don't often surprise surprise me because I think I usually get a feel for them relatively quickly. Unless they lie to me. Which has happened once so far.
I write my scenes very spontaneously so I would say my characters do a to of unexpected things, but it doesn't surprise me because I intend it that way. I don't tie them down. I just let them do what they want to do and the story develops natural. Of course, sometimes I have to alter my plan for the story based on something that no longer makes sense for the character
They do and quite often! There comes a moment when they just feel so alive that all I have to do is following them. It is usually a good thing for the story can find its own end naturally, but sometimes it becomes a pain in the ass because things get so complicated I can't figure out what will happen at all...^^
Yes, I think the character surprises especially make sense for those who are pantsers (I'm assuming that's what you mean?) as that's a general part of the process. :)
Alive! I like that—that's exactly what it feels like. :D
Not...really? I mean, I guess there are times I surprise myself, via character lens. But I'm not one of those writers whose characters come in like wrecking balls or whatever.
Fair enough! Everyone's writing process is different. :)
Yes, that's the fun of it all!
Agree! It definitely is a lot of fun. :)
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