Characters taking control

[mrmxy]

I'm sure this has been talked about in the past, but I'm kinda new... anyway...

Have you ever been writing a story and have the characters "take over"? Lemme tell ya my recent experience.

I'm currently writing a story where two characters are plotting against another. (They're not plotting anything bad or violent. This is erotica, after all. )

I needed a sexy scene after a long period of exposition and plot, so I had one of the two start to flirt with the guy they're plotting against. Before I realize what's happening, it goes too far and the guy gets an inkling of what's going on. Then, another character meets with the guy, they put their info together and form a coalition where none existed before.

I stopped typing and thought to myself, "What the f--- did I just write? If this happens now, I can't use the ending I originally plotted and even have mostly written."

Anyway, has anything like this happened to any of you, or am I just nuts?

 

[oggbashan]

Characters

I have bumped one older thread for you.

If you go to the bottom of the Authors' Hangout screen you will find a search box. Enter "character" and you will get 20 pages of threads.

Hope that helps.

Og

 

[sirhugs]

mrmxy:

Without excluding the possibility that you are nuts ( many of us are squirrel food), yes, many writers experience the situation whjere characters drive away without you.

Now you need to decide whether its worth forcing them back to your original ending, or just enjoy the ride.

You can always reuse the ending elsewhere ( sequel, you say?)

 

[Vincent E]

Not for nothing, but in the many interviews author Tom Clancy has given he always states that he never knows how the story is going to end, he never begins with an outline, and the action just sort of leads itself along.

I'm working on the sixth chapter of a story that has completely grown out of control. It was meant to be a quick one-time story, and now I have readers calling it a saga. The funny thing is as the characters took control of the story it became better than anything I had planned on in the first place.

My point is maybe your charaters know what they are doing. Then again, the voices I hear in the back of my head have never lied to me either.

 

[mrmxy]

Og - If you search on "character control" you get only 2 pages. There's an interesting thread from mishap00 asking for help with characters taking over. Not much else, though. Thanks.

sirhugs - Yeah, the question of whether or not I'm certifiable should have been left separate. I'm gonna back this particular story up a bit and re-write the scene in question. I'll keep the "out of control" part in a file and maybe use it in something else.

Vincent E - Now I'm gonna have to go read your stories. Not enough hours in the day, you know?

 

[Guest]

The mind is what the brain does...

Hi. That simple sentence is from a book I read on depression, can't recall title or author now but it fits this topic I think.

And speaking of thinking I've known for a long time that writing helps me think, no matter the subject, genre, etc.

Re. characters taking over: I think of dreams and how sometimes one has no idea where a dream came from, what it means, etc. BUT we must accept that it's OUR dream, WE had it (whatever one might label its source: sub- or un-conscious, imagination).

I think it's the same with writing, fiction at least. We may be as intellectual as possible, consciously, but we're tapped into that *other* and so stuff happens as if someone else (e.g., our characters) was directing the pen (or keyboard).

Me? I go with the characters, trusting them; therefore myself. And if I don't like it I hit delete and start again.

Best to you, Perdita

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Yeah, I've had thathappen a lot. It's fun, kind of. I guess it depends on how you write. If you're the kind of writer who has a very structured plot I guess it's not good. But there are a lot of very good writers who work by putting a bunch of chars together in a situation and then seeing how they interact.

One good thing, you know that your chars have developed enough depth so they can decide for themselves what they want to do. That's pretty cool in itself. I've had characters refuse to do what I wanted them to do. By the time I got to a critical point in the story, I realized that what I wanted them to do wasn't consistent with their personailities.

Worse than that, you can develop all sorts of emotional connections with your chartacters. The only thing I've never felt for one of my people is hate. I don't think it's possible to invent a consistent character that you totally dislike, but i don't know for sure.

Before you chase off after them and abandon your original plot, though, give some thought to where they're going to end up and make sure that's where you want to go.

---dr.M.

 

[jfinn]

This usually isn't one of my problems, but I did run into it once. I started a short story based on a line of poetry that kept running through my head which is not usually my modus operendi when developing stories. It was supposed to have my usual And they lived happily ever after... soppy ending, but none of the characters would cooperate. I ended up shelving the whole thing for about six months. When I went back to it, I realized that part of the problem was the main character was really someone I'd detest in real life. I couldn't write the planned ending because I didn't want him to be happy, lol. So I made him suffer and that worked.

This probably couldn't happen to me in a longer series because of the usual way I develop them. I'm told I have a reputation as a plot driven writer, but actually it's the characters that inspire me. I'll think of the people first and make up a whole biography for them. (What was that Sirhugs said about being nuts???) Then I think of different situations to throw at them and try to work out how the characters would react in relationship to their personalities and points of reference. Once I have that figured out I start to write. So far I've never really had an urge to stray from the original plot when I do it this way.

I wish sometimes I could be more spontaneous when I write. It certainly sounds like it would be more fun than sitting down and slogging out material you've been over a hundred times in your mind, but I can't seem to swing it. Either I can think about the plot or I can think about the writing, just not both at the same time.

Jayne

 

[Svenskaflicka]

This usually doesn't happen to me when I write sex stories. My characters are satisfied with just meeting, greeting, and jumping into bed together.

I have some serious problem with another fic I'm writing for another site, though. The heros of the story are planning to trap the villain, but as I'm writing , suddenly the villain shakes his head and says "Oh, come ooooon..! You think I'm gonna fall for such a transparent plan? This thing REEK "trap" long way!"

So now I have to come up with some clever reason why he goes there anyway...

 

[Guest]

So now I have to come up with some clever reason why he goes there anyway...

You will, Sweetie, you will. Now keep writing, your fans are waiting. Purdy

 

[Master_Vassago]

I personally don't use an outline or anything of the sort. I plan it out in my mind and when I sit down and type it just always seems to flow. One day this will get me in trouble.

Yes, I normally experience what you are questioning about, I think, "ok this is going to go just like this," and as I type I stumble upon other little things that would make the story better. And before I know it the direction has shifted and areas I hadn't plotted are pouring through my fingertips at a speed that is hard to keep up with.

Go with it like Sirhugs said you can alway go back and make the original ending a sequel later on. If it feels right do it.

 

[Sabledrake]

I'm very familiar with the phenomenon of having characters rise up and take over the story. Since I don't usually write with an outline anyway, I tend to just run with it and see what happens.

In one of my fantasy novels, I was quite surprised when two characters who never much liked each other went and ended up having a lusty romp. Was fun, and did it ever open up new possibilities!

The story I just finished and submitted ("The Witch of Dark Hollow," look for it in the Erotic Horror category in a few days!) didn't exactly go in the direction I intended either. But I am very pleased with the way it turned out.

Sabledrake

 

[sirhugs]

opposite of jfinn's experience

my favourite story is still unfinished because the characters, who I love refuse to have sex. I just can't tget them naked- their both too 'nice' to go for it. I've been staring at the page for months.

No wonder I tend to write short strokers where that problem never arises.