(You know what’s about to happen, don’t you? Another dreaded excuse...you have to admit though, I’m very convincing. Right?)
The problem with showing you a glimpse at a character today is that over my technology hiatus I poured over my hundred pages of dialogue reminders (little snippets of conversation to spark my memory for scenes for the trilogy I have planned) as well as the thirteen chapters I had in past tense and the three in present.
Actually there are two problems. The first: after looking over everything, I decided I needed to start from scratch – I didn’t start in the right place and I could condense chapters 1-4 into two chapters and it would be SO much more exciting. Problem two actually played a large role in deciding to execute problem one.
Remember Hunter? Well, that lovely, charming, crooked nose, black-haired boy decided to throw a giant wrench in my plot. For a moment I wanted to kill him viciously. I’d drag out the torment, prolong his suffering and laugh like the evilest of villains.
Then, I saw it. The light. The magnificent thing he’d just done for the story.
He upped the stakes, condensed events and made everything that much more complicated and murky. Rorys choices are going to be harder to make, the aftermath harsher, and make the reader’s interest increase (well, I’m hoping anyway).
He basically offered me a tool to make Rory’s everything worse, which, since readers are really just voyeurs rooting for the heroine/hero to valiantly (or not so valiantly) traverse the mess their life has become is great. The worse it is, the harder they have to try and the more frantic the reader is because what will they do!?
So maybe now I want to smother Hunter with kisses and grant him all his dreams. Theoretically anyway, I am a cruel author and things aren’t that easy in the world I’ve created. But, if I could I would.
I’m starting all over and I’m happy about it. Unfortunately, while I can integrate old stuff with new (because things are essentially the same) everything is a bit of a mess at the moment.
Next week, promise, I’ll have something to share.
Do your characters surprise you? Do they ever do something totally unexpected and throw you, the author, into the line of fire for once?
Guys your following me (I’m assuming) because you have a vague interest in what I have to say. Well, today I have some advice for you, do yourself a favour and check out Erica’s blog. Her posts are interesting, she’s funny, sweet and one of my favourite bloggers out there! If all of that weren’t enough she’s starting a beta service on her blog (and we could all benefit from her keen eye!) and having an awesome contest.
So go, check it out, click here! and don't forget to tell her that I sent you, so I get extra points.
...I'm always amazed at how characters quite literally take on a personality all their own, despite being nothing more than a figment of our imagination.
ReplyDeleteIt's when we catch ourselves having a conversation with those from our WIP's, (while others are listening in from the next room,) that fires up the rumor mill:) ...not good
My character's do that qutie often, they can never just spell it out, they make me sit there agonizing about where to go and what to do when they throw something in and then after they tell me what's going on I'm relieved to know what they wanted but pissed because they shouldn't have waited so long to share.
ReplyDeleteHey girl, rewriting huh? Wow, go you! I hope it goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done much to completely change characters yet, but maybe in my next wip. You never know when they'll take on a mind of their own...*grin*
Glad you figured out that character! Oh yes, my characters surprise me all the time. I start writing thinking they are one way, when they are really the opposite. Sometimes they reveal personal secrets to me half way through (I wish they'd told me at the beginning) and then I have to go back to incorporate it.
ReplyDeleteYes, my characters surprise me! I love that when I'm writing and writing and what I think I'm about to make the characters do and say turns into something completely different! That makes writing super fun. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you figured out your character and ways to condense your chapters! Keep it up! :)
My characters surprise me quite often. Several times a character starts out small only to grow into something bigger than I could have ever planned.
ReplyDeleteGlad your character is working out for you and I am so glad to have you back blogging!
So fun when characters surprise you like that. Good luck with it. Sometimes starting over is the very best thing to do.
ReplyDeleteOh, when a character throws a wrench into your plot, it is really a blessing and a pain! But it will make the story so much better, so it's all a good thing!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, girl! At least your more understanding then I am... I've had a standoff with a character before for well over a week before I got past my "I'm the writer and it's cause I said SO" attitude and actually listened to reason! :)
ReplyDeleteOf course, she was right.. but damned if her head didn't swell just a little. I still catch myself resisting what my characters are trying to say and/or tell me... but I'm learning to be more compromising! ;) It's not an easy process... but I'm taking it baby steps at a time!
Good luck with your rewrite! I look forward to reading your snippet's when you do get to post them. :)
Oh yes, my characters surprise me ALL the time! Even when I try to plan things out, they always end up taking me for a ride and changing everything to how THEY want it :)
ReplyDeleteThis is part of what makes writing so much fun (to me) - the unexpected things that happen, whether my character throws me for a loop or an arrow comes out of nowhere and a whole new character is introduced! I love it! I feel it makes the story stronger, in most cases. I'm happy you're back!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sweet words on my blog today! Glad you enjoyed the interview!
ReplyDeleteI believe our characters do that to us on purpose! Their toying with us. :)
ReplyDeleteI love Erica's blog also. She knows her stuff!!
Guess what!! You know how I had that problem where I wasn't flawing my characters enough to get the arc I needed...well like your post one of your characters made things more interesting for another. SAME THING HAPPENED HERE! And I just flawed the hell out of my MC. YAY! I can't wait for the teaser (and your email cause I missed you so much and glad your back)
ReplyDeleteAwesome shout out, thank you (blushing) =D You are so sweet and awesome and possibly my twin (still waiting on the genetic tree to come in the mail) and I so love your blog and getting to know you... is PRICELESS. Your fabulous and wish you lived closer! Random YAY! Not so random it's cause I <3 U!
yay good for you! sometimes my characters write entire chapters by themselves that I never even intended-love that!
ReplyDeleteAs Bart would say: "Been there, done that, sister." But your character seems to be so interesting, and I loved it how he created a spark in your story! Go Hunter!
ReplyDeleteCharacters jell in our minds. And if our unconscious is sensitive, we seem to see our characters acting out on "their own."
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by my blog. I'm glad you liked the song. Thea Gilmore is indeed an artist.
Roland
Oh, yes. I'm constantly revising my pages as I learn more about my characters. It's part of the fun, right? That's what I'm telling myself...
ReplyDelete