Surprising Characters

[Yogma]

I'm still fairly new to writing, so this might be a common thing, but has a character you have written ever done or said something that has genuinely surprised you?

I must admit that I tend to put a lot of planning into my stories, and not just on the plot, but also the character motivations and personalities as well, so I have a fairly good appreciation of who I am writing before I start. However, it sometimes happens that as the story goes on, some characters begin taking on their own personalities, sometimes to the extent that it might end up reshape what I had initially intended the ending to be. There have even been a few instances where something has happened that I really didn't expect.

A couple instances that have happened to me: In one story and android is able to take on multiple personas, and during one encounter where she has taken on the role of a dominatrix, she suddenly slaps a client hard across the face for being late. I really hadn't expected it to happen and I think I was just as shocked as the other characters that witnessed it. Another time, a character who had always been some calm and under control, experiences a stressful situation where in her anger she actually swears, which was completely out character for her. I remember thinking at the time "where did that come from?" even though once written it felt honest (at least to me).

I was just curious if this was normal for other writers?

 

[TheRedLantern]

I don't think I've ever written a story that ended up the way I thought. In every one, a character says or does something I wasn't expecting and it's WAY too interesting to not follow.

In my current work, the male love interest wasn't supposed to be a love interest until my main character admitted to herself that she doesn't feel worthy of him because they got pregnant when they were young and complications led to her being unable to have children. That was totally unexpected and it sent the story spinning in a new (and much more interesting) direction. It gave the whole thing depth it didn't have before. I would have been foolish to ignore that.

I like to outline before I start, but don't outline past the midpoint because I know that the probability of something like this happening is 100%.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I was just curious if this was normal for other writers?

It certainly is with me. I'm a pantser, never plot, never plan. I've written several stories where a character arrives out of the blue and becomes a leading character in the space of a paragraph. They might not take over the story but will often become an equal third. I usually write couples, but threesomes often happen because of this.

Thinking about it, most of my stories develop that way. Alternatively, a bit character in one story might become a lead character in another. That happens often.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

I had fun with one talking about Kitty. I hadn't quite planned it that way but after the first reference, the rest just fell into place naturally.



https://literotica.com/s/amorous-goods-2024-those-shoes-little-red-shoes



.

 

[NotWise]

I'm still fairly new to writing, so this might be a common thing, but has a character you have written ever done or said something that has genuinely surprised you?

I must admit that I tend to put a lot of planning into my stories, and not just on the plot, but also the character motivations and personalities as well, so I have a fairly good appreciation of who I am writing before I start. However, it sometimes happens that as the story goes on, some characters begin taking on their own personalities, sometimes to the extent that it might end up reshape what I had initially intended the ending to be. There have even been a few instances where something has happened that I really didn't expect.

A couple instances that have happened to me: In one story and android is able to take on multiple personas, and during one encounter where she has taken on the role of a dominatrix, she suddenly slaps a client hard across the face for being late. I really hadn't expected it to happen and I think I was just as shocked as the other characters that witnessed it. Another time, a character who had always been some calm and under control, experiences a stressful situation where in her anger she actually swears, which was completely out character for her. I remember thinking at the time "where did that come from?" even though once written it felt honest (at least to me).

I was just curious if this was normal for other writers?

I think this is pretty normal (and a frequent topic).

I plan my stories, but the characters are fonts of ideas that I don't always control. It's usually just an event, or something in dialog, but sometimes they've twisted a plot when I didn't expect it.

What my characters say and do are my own thoughts seen through a different lens. They sometimes give me a window into myself.

 

[iwatchus]

This is absolutely the rule. I don’t know I have let them change something as seriously @TheRedLantern did. One of my two couples in my main series tried to break up and I had to sit them in the corner and give them some relationship counseling so I could finish the series.

But the big fight scene between the MCs in my nude day story was a complete surprise because my MMC decided to be an asshole when his jealousy got the better of him.

I like to outline before I start, but don't outline past the midpoint because I know that the probability of something like this happening is 100%.

I have taken to outlining only a few scenes ahead. And even that is etched in sand.

 

[Voboy]

This happens all the time. ALL the time.

As a matter of fact, I'd go so far as to say that characters surprising me is probably Reason #1 why any given story of mine ends up getting finished, then liked enough by me to get submitted here. The stories that don't make it are the ones with characters who bore me.

 

[OddLove]

I kind of freestyle my stories then just go back to work on phrasing, clunkiness, and grammar. So pretty much everything is a surprise to me. In the ongoing story I have the main submissive character slowly finds out the main dominatrix character has farm animal themes for all her submissives.

Cowy is her Cow because he's obese and because she breeds/pegs him, then she always 'milk's him when she's done wearing him out.
Donkey is her Donkey because he's kind of an 'ass', but she also beats his 'ass' with a variety of fun toys.
Piss Pig is her Pig because she makes him drink from his piss bowl and eat pig slop to earn rewards, and pig slop is just either her random left overs mashed up or a bunch of things that don't go good together.

The main submissive eventually finds out he's just her farm dog cause he's obedient and loyal.

Non of that was planned, all of it kind of surprised me while the pieces fall together.

But that stuff happens all the time, I imagine to all of us. It kind of feels like magic when it's happening lol

 

[Yogma]

They sometimes give me a window into myself.

Given some of the surprising things my characters do, that's actually quite a worrying thought

 

[NotWise]

Given some of the surprising things my characters do, that's actually quite a worrying thought

Maybe you're more complicated than you think.