When Your Characters Refuse To Behave

[NikkiBastion]

Hi

So, I posted this as a secondary question on a different thread regarding specific rules on the age issue, but it didn't get much airplay given the main topic.

Thought I'd try one specific to this issue - as the subject reads.

In my case, awesome story in my head, I started writing - it flowed effortlessly, just getting it out was greatly satisfying. I didn't write the full thing, got distracted and had to stop. Came back and proofed it, tidied up what I had so far, and jumped in. The final version will be more fleshed out, this isn't so much an outline as a barebones tale that I will go back and fluff up later.

Yeah, so...I have my 4 main characters here, erotic thriller...there's even dead bodies and blood. After the cops came and went, and the emotional impact is handled, seems these 4 people who practically leapt out of my head have decided erotica and thriller isn't all they're of a mind to do. Suddenly, amid scenes I had fully intended to be serious and solemn, every one of them has found it necessary to become a wise ass. They haven't stopped cooperating, they've completely decided this story is a comedy. I don't want it to be a comedy and I can't fire them because it's their story and it's not funny!

In a particularly important plot moving scene, my girl is watching the new guy masturbate, he's unaware. In my head, she's turned on, she's wet, she's debating whether or not to interrupt. He's also not actually thinking about her one way or another. She finally takes a chance and steps up.

Only when it ended up "on paper" she makes a wise ass remark that probably every woman "wants" to say at some point but usually restrains herself...and that changes the whole mood, I'm cracking up laughing with tears in my eyes because it's totally awesome. Just NOT what I was trying to accomplish...and I've tried changing it but strangely, they won't let me. They like this version.


In my head, in the actual story, she takes a breath and simply walks in on him and joins in...and it gets steamy and sultry.

On paper, this shit happened: She walks in and out of her mouth comes a playful, mock chastizing: "What the hell are you doing? Put that away! You'll shoot your eye out!"

*facepalm*

Does this happen to you? Do your characters run your awesome story off the rails and insist you make it something else entirely? Do you yield to them and change it all up to some other thing? Do you crack a whip? CAN you get them to behave and get their asses back in the tale you've set down for them?

Or...is there such a genre as an erotic thriller comedy?

 

[KatieTay]

the best writers often say, that all they do is create the characters - who then proceed to run away from the author, and the author ends up feeling as if he is only transcribing what would naturally happen in the course of events.

maybe you needn't be too concerned with genre? and let the story take shape as your characters demand it

 

[Boundlife]

Or...is there such a genre as an erotic thriller comedy?

If not there should be

 

[Feotakahari]

I was thinking of creating a thread about this, because my characters are refusing to get back in bed with each other. Right now, one of them's trying to convince the other that she should stop using sex as a substitute for intimacy, and stop thinking of herself as worthless apart from her sex appeal. I've managed seven chapters of sex in a variety of configurations--can I get away with sex-free chapters 8-10?

 

[PayDay]

Pssht... Rules.

If not there should be

Vouch.----^

A single funny moment, or tension breaker, or joke, shouldn't affect a plot in my opinion. Though if you don't want it there, take it out. A joke from a sternly serious character, or even one burning with sexual flames, can add depth to the imagination.

Dialogue and story can easily be separate things, also. What you view as hilarious, or comedic, might be rude to the reader, or completely unfunny.

I say write the story as you see it, instead of making your wit fit your audience. Sometimes the story you think will be awful, and off-beat with contrasting characters, ends up being everyone's favorite.

 

[NikkiBastion]

Thanks and I do...usually...but the question was if this happens to you - your characters end up doing something other than what you have in mind and derail things...and what you do to corral them (if it can be done, I'm beginning to wonder).

 

[NikkiBastion]

I was thinking of creating a thread about this, because my characters are refusing to get back in bed with each other. Right now, one of them's trying to convince the other that she should stop using sex as a substitute for intimacy, and stop thinking of herself as worthless apart from her sex appeal. I've managed seven chapters of sex in a variety of configurations--can I get away with sex-free chapters 8-10?

That's it exactly. Thank you. I wonder if it's an aspect of writer's block or distraction, or boredom. Or something else. Mine have turned a steamy erotic thriller with a hell of a good and solid story into a comedy of errors.

I don't know how to get them back in the story.

 

[PayDay]

Blame perspective.

That's it exactly. Thank you. I wonder if it's an aspect of writer's block or distraction, or boredom. Or something else. Mine have turned a steamy erotic thriller with a hell of a good and solid story into a comedy of errors.

I don't know how to get them back in the story.

Hmmm, you could cheat? Find the most not-at-all logical friend you have, or one with an opposite personality, and ask them: "What would you do under these circumstances." This way, you can leave the story as it formed, and just continue with some new perspective.

Or: Maybe re-plot the story to include the new character actions? Maybe they shouldn't get back into bed, and it took the writing of the idea for you to figure it out?

Or you could just keep writing it and see what happens down the road.

I like to start with a beginning and an end, working my way through the middle with ideas I previously formed, keeps the little bastards in line that way, so they don't run-amuck, and allows for me to throw in something new here and there that might not neccessarily fit.

For example, I want these characters (beginning) to get together and do something (end) by way of this or these events (middle).
Then I want to add this thing (new idea or change or extra).

It is simple, and kind of lame, but it works for me.
Hope that helps

 

[GinaTina]

Characters can behave?


...I had no idea.

 

[Kurokami]

My current main character is a demanding little bastard over whom I have no control whatsoever. Case in point, I had originally envisioned, and in fact had begun to write him as, a sociopathic no hoper who had long since written off the possibility of acquiring personal happiness and had devoted himself to a long standing vendetta. Over the course of only a few chapters, he had gained himself a much lighter personality, a proper romantic partner and, oddly, an undisclosed, yes assuredly large, fortune.

All of these things make sense for the character, and I'd be lying if I said these changes hadn't improved the story... I just don't know how much of it I as the author can take credit for

 

[PayDay]

Um...?

All of these things make sense for the character, and I'd be lying if I said these changes hadn't improved the story... I just don't know how much of it I as the author can take credit for

All of it? If you could not take any of the credit, and you still had the same opinion, you'd be an Anon comment in the feedback section.

 

[Kurokami]

All of it? If you could not take any of the credit, and you still had the same opinion, you'd be an Anon comment in the feedback section.

And I just... I couldn't handle that. Not at all.

 

[CarlusMagnus]

Thanks and I do...usually...but the question was if this happens to you - your characters end up doing something other than what you have in mind and derail things...and what you do to corral them (if it can be done, I'm beginning to wonder).

My characters try to run the shop. They've gotten completely out of hand on a couple of occasions. Especially if I keep the jug of Scotch too close when I'm writing.

Whips and chains don't work—not even (especially?) in a BDSM story. The only solution (given that I've decided that what they did after I lost control was unacceptable) I've found is to excise the misbehavior and rewrite—sometimes from a point several paragraphs preceding the point where they departed from the script.

 

[nicecthulhu]

let them misbehave

Let them do what they want. That will get it out of their system and then they'll get back on track, although maybe not the original track you had intended. Silliness leads to playfulness, which can often lead to sex. At least in real life.
Perhaps on a deeper level, if your subconscious is trying to force the story in a certain direction then shouldn't you explore that 'new land'? Who knows what you might find?
I don't write my stories, I just type them out. I leave the hard work to my subconscious and the characters that have taken it over.
As for an 'erotic thriller comedy', I thought stories usually balanced or counter-pointed (?) horror with comedy. Maybe I've just read the wrong books and watched the wrong movies... And what about gallows humour?
Just my two cents.

 

[CWatson]

Here's how I see it:

If you can't see it coming, there's no way The Reader can see it coming. Which is awesome.

Plus, if they're running away with you, it means you've crafted really interesting and really powerful in-depth characters. This is a thing you want.

Let the run away with it. It'll be good for the story.

 

[CarlusMagnus]

Here's how I see it:

If you can't see it coming, there's no way The Reader can see it coming. Which is awesome

The readers who're smarter than you are might see it coming. And they're out there.

Plus, if they're running away with you, it means you've crafted really interesting and really powerful in-depth characters. This is a thing you want.

Let the run away with it. It'll be good for the story.

Sometimes it is; sometimes it isn't. If they get up to something really stupid, you have to discipline them. When they run away from me, I usually let it stand for a few days before I make a final decision. (And the decision isn't that final: I save the deathless prose I've excised for potential use elsewhere.)

 

[PayDay]

Yup.

The readers who're smarter than you are might see it coming. And they're out there.

Vouch on this, and then some.

The hardest part of writing is tricking every kind of reader.

I agree with the 'let them roam free' comment as much as the 'wrangle those morons in' idea.

You can always edit out what you do not want.

 

[ManhattanMinx]

You are experiencing the delight and the problems of crafting character driven fiction. Sometimes your characters, when you give them rein, take wrong turns and you must put them back on track. This usually happens early on in a novel, when you are still finding your way. Go with it for a while, and if you don't like the results, back up and try again. This type of process wastes lots of words, but the result is an organic manuscript that can be well worth the effort.

MM

 

[Ironiclaconic]

On paper, this shit happened: She walks in and out of her mouth comes a playful, mock chastizing: "What the hell are you doing? Put that away! You'll shoot your eye out!"

*facepalm*

Does this happen to you? Do your characters run your awesome story off the rails and insist you make it something else entirely? Do you yield to them and change it all up to some other thing? Do you crack a whip? CAN you get them to behave and get their asses back in the tale you've set down for them?

Or...is there such a genre as an erotic thriller comedy?

Frankly I think it works better with the quip.

Let's be honest with each other and say that the vocabulary and actions in describing sex are limited. Where you get infinite variety is in characters, dialogue, and situations. It's a funny line. As a reader I would be interested in the character who says it.

The only issue I see is the use of "put that away" which doesn't lead directly to a sex scene. So tweak it. A following line of "on second thought", or have him respond with his own quip. That should take care of the problem.

 

[Klogg]

This is pretty common for me and sometimes I have to restrict what my characters do and sometimes I let them go with it. Trust your characters. If they try to do something that you didn't intend them to, let them. That is how you created their personality and to change that would be to change your whole character. I also think it makes the character relate more with the reader because most of us do have those smart ass remarks in our head at the most inappropriate of times. It makes them more human.
I also think it has to do with your own personality. You are probably a good comedy writer. Most of what I write turns out to be comedy. I tried to write a serious piece and the whole thing got blown apart because the characters kept mouthing off or ignoring what I was trying to tell them to do. It takes real effort and a lot of proofreading before I get a completely serious story. So again, just let them misbehave. It is in their nature as characters and your nature as a writer. Don't fight nature.

 

[PayDay]

Woah, wait, time out.

I tried to write a serious piece and the whole thing got blown apart because the characters kept mouthing off or ignoring what I was trying to tell them to do.

Plot and character dialogues are different. You not only have the abilty to write their words, but also their actions. A joke can be sexy, a quip can be a turn on, etc.

Characters can roam free if there is a plot to fence them in.

 

[Pure]

Nikki

That's a great question. I shows you're really getting into your characters. I think you should go with what 'pops out.' In fact, since so many porn-ish stories are without humor, such would be refreshing!

j.
pure

Hi

So, I posted this as a secondary question on a different thread regarding specific rules on the age issue, but it didn't get much airplay given the main topic.

Thought I'd try one specific to this issue - as the subject reads.

In my case, awesome story in my head, I started writing - it flowed effortlessly, just getting it out was greatly satisfying. I didn't write the full thing, got distracted and had to stop. Came back and proofed it, tidied up what I had so far, and jumped in. The final version will be more fleshed out, this isn't so much an outline as a barebones tale that I will go back and fluff up later.

Yeah, so...I have my 4 main characters here, erotic thriller...there's even dead bodies and blood. After the cops came and went, and the emotional impact is handled, seems these 4 people who practically leapt out of my head have decided erotica and thriller isn't all they're of a mind to do. Suddenly, amid scenes I had fully intended to be serious and solemn, every one of them has found it necessary to become a wise ass. They haven't stopped cooperating, they've completely decided this story is a comedy. I don't want it to be a comedy and I can't fire them because it's their story and it's not funny!

In a particularly important plot moving scene, my girl is watching the new guy masturbate, he's unaware. In my head, she's turned on, she's wet, she's debating whether or not to interrupt. He's also not actually thinking about her one way or another. She finally takes a chance and steps up.

[...]
On paper, this shit happened: She walks in and out of her mouth comes a playful, mock chastizing: "What the hell are you doing? Put that away! You'll shoot your eye out!"

*facepalm*

Does this happen to you? Do your characters run your awesome story off the rails and insist you make it something else entirely? Do you yield to them and change it all up to some other thing? Do you crack a whip? CAN you get them to behave and get their asses back in the tale you've set down for them?

Or...is there such a genre as an erotic thriller comedy?

 

[LaRascasse]

Hi

So, I posted this as a secondary question on a different thread regarding specific rules on the age issue, but it didn't get much airplay given the main topic.

Thought I'd try one specific to this issue - as the subject reads.

In my case, awesome story in my head, I started writing - it flowed effortlessly, just getting it out was greatly satisfying. I didn't write the full thing, got distracted and had to stop. Came back and proofed it, tidied up what I had so far, and jumped in. The final version will be more fleshed out, this isn't so much an outline as a barebones tale that I will go back and fluff up later.

Yeah, so...I have my 4 main characters here, erotic thriller...there's even dead bodies and blood. After the cops came and went, and the emotional impact is handled, seems these 4 people who practically leapt out of my head have decided erotica and thriller isn't all they're of a mind to do. Suddenly, amid scenes I had fully intended to be serious and solemn, every one of them has found it necessary to become a wise ass. They haven't stopped cooperating, they've completely decided this story is a comedy. I don't want it to be a comedy and I can't fire them because it's their story and it's not funny!

In a particularly important plot moving scene, my girl is watching the new guy masturbate, he's unaware. In my head, she's turned on, she's wet, she's debating whether or not to interrupt. He's also not actually thinking about her one way or another. She finally takes a chance and steps up.

Only when it ended up "on paper" she makes a wise ass remark that probably every woman "wants" to say at some point but usually restrains herself...and that changes the whole mood, I'm cracking up laughing with tears in my eyes because it's totally awesome. Just NOT what I was trying to accomplish...and I've tried changing it but strangely, they won't let me. They like this version.


In my head, in the actual story, she takes a breath and simply walks in on him and joins in...and it gets steamy and sultry.

On paper, this shit happened: She walks in and out of her mouth comes a playful, mock chastizing: "What the hell are you doing? Put that away! You'll shoot your eye out!"

*facepalm*

Does this happen to you? Do your characters run your awesome story off the rails and insist you make it something else entirely? Do you yield to them and change it all up to some other thing? Do you crack a whip? CAN you get them to behave and get their asses back in the tale you've set down for them?

Or...is there such a genre as an erotic thriller comedy?

So when do you plan to post this story. Your description has definitely piqued my interest. I look forward to reading it.

 

[auslittaketwo]

They sound like real life people to me, real life isn't so "scripted" and people are sometimes wise asses at really inappropriate times, just let it be

 

[CinT]

Characters can roam free if there is a plot to fence them in.

love that ^^^