Stay true to your characters, even if the story suffers?

[Travel_by_day]

I wrote a story back a year and a half ago about a men who sees a coworker dressed up as a woman at a club, and how he ends up picking her up. (If you are interested, here's the story: http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=326799). I wrote the story in the first person from the view of the man (Steve).

Now, I ended up liking the characters so much that I decided I needed to write more with the characters. So in my head I built up detailed profiles of the two main characters (Steve and the cross-dresser, Emily). What I didn't do, which I will admit was a mistake, is plan out the story and figure out where it was going. Instead I just started writing and letting the story develop as I wrote it. Over the next year I wrote another 5 chapters, and things were going along swimmingly.

Then I suddenly realized that the two main characters were heading in different directions. Steve wanted to settle down, while Emily was starting staring to blossom. There was no way the relationship was going to work - Emily would eventually end up dumping Steve.

Because I had written everything from Steve's perspective, though, this wouldn't be automatically clear to the reader. I could have easily changed Emily's motivations to have her end up in a happy, loving relationship with Steve, and it still would have fit the actions she had taken in the previous chapters.

Something about doing that ran completely hollow, though, like I would be cheating. I struggled with the thought of having to change the core of one of the characters to wind up with a more satisfying ending for the reader.

I ended up coming up with four possible solutions:
a) End the story in a non-truthful way to the character with a happily-ever-after ending
b) End the story properly with a number of chapters that were sad and not very erotic
c) Don't finish the story at all
d) Write something quick, probably not that good and give the story an ending that fit the characters

Has anyone else ever faced a similar situation? What path did you choose?

I ended up choosing option D, not really finishing the story properly, instead just putting together a couple last chapters that had some element of sex in them and quickly ended the relationship of the two main characters. It was an unsatisfying ending for me, and looking at the rating of the final chapter, not particularly well received among the readers either.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I ended up coming up with four possible solutions:
a) End the story in a non-truthful way to the character with a happily-ever-after ending
b) End the story properly with a number of chapters that were sad and not very erotic
c) Don't finish the story at all
d) Write something quick, probably not that good and give the story an ending that fit the characters

Has anyone else ever faced a similar situation? What path did you choose?

In a perfect world, I'd choose B.

I've done D. It sucks and readers think it sucks and feel more cheated than when you choose option B. With option B, they may not like that the characters don't end up together, but they are satisfied that it was a true ending.

Some will always want option A. I'm so not in that camp. Although I have an understanding for the desire for a happy ending, real life just doesn't end that way, and I like my fiction real.

I'm not in it for a HAPPY ending... I'm in it for a SATISFYING ending. One that makes sense, given the situation and characters involved.

And option C? Yeah I've done that. But I try not to leave too many hanging if I can help it.

 

[The_Fool]

Why not have an option E, diverge the single story line into two story lines? Then you can create even more angst as you increase the circle of friends that interact between the two story lines.

 

[CharleyH]

I love to write. I am never led by my characters, though. I am God in my stories. That being said ... if you are writing a chaptered novel, then there is no reason why characters cannot change over time. If, as you say, you are planning your novel, then even with changes to characters (which I think are necessary plot points in any half-decent novel) the overall theme of your story and the goal of your main character should be achieved in the end. Even if the known goal of the character has changed, you as the author, should know it. Perhaps you, as a writer, should understand why your character has changed in order to best articulate it to your readers?

You say your choice is to 'write something quick and not that good'. My question is simple. How does this choice satisfy you or your readers?

 

[SimonBrooke]

Something about doing that ran completely hollow, though, like I would be cheating. I struggled with the thought of having to change the core of one of the characters to wind up with a more satisfying ending for the reader.

I ended up coming up with four possible solutions:
a) End the story in a non-truthful way to the character with a happily-ever-after ending
b) End the story properly with a number of chapters that were sad and not very erotic
c) Don't finish the story at all
d) Write something quick, probably not that good and give the story an ending that fit the characters

Has anyone else ever faced a similar situation? What path did you choose?

I ended up choosing option D, not really finishing the story properly, instead just putting together a couple last chapters that had some element of sex in them and quickly ended the relationship of the two main characters. It was an unsatisfying ending for me, and looking at the rating of the final chapter, not particularly well received among the readers either.

My answer is here. In some ways it's the best narrative I've ever written; I think in achieving and maintaining a credible tenth century female voice over seventy thousand words I've done well. But, the plot doesn't work, and I don't have the skill to fix it. So my failure is out there in public for everyone to see.

It taught me a lot about writing, that failure. There is a tension between character and plot; you cannot achieve a great narrative without both. I still start my stories from fragmentary episodes which define the characters and define the strand that links them, and build my narratives out from there. But sometimes that strategy ends in catastrophic failure - I have another hundred thousand word narrative that I have not yet found a way to resolve, not yet found a way to bring back into a satisfactory whole.

The strategy of starting with a plot and forcing characters into it is probably a lower risk strategy. That way you will get a story in the end. But whether it will be an engaging story, a story that will drag readers in, compel them to identify... that's another question.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Huh? If you fuck up the story, why bother?

 

[CharleyH]

Huh? If you fuck up the story, why bother?

I ultimately agree.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I can think of two ways I would go;
1) re-write the characters in order to make them fit the plot. I'm sure plenty of people are huffing in horror at this notion, but-- really. YOU are the author, the characters are yours. You can sometimes find the single paragraph in that last chapter that sent Emily on her path away from the HEA, and change it with a few strokes of the pen... sometimes.

Once in a blue moon, who am I kidding? I have made this exact same mistake, and that ms has been sitting for years now, until I get my gumption up to do something about it...

2) change the plot. In this case, Steve realises that Emily is not the tranny of his dreams. he remains friends with her, probably with plenty of benefits, but meets that special someone the lets him detach from Emily and focus on his picket fence desires. Emily remains a good friend, and we get the story of her own voyage of self-discovery each time she shows up to discuss her latest adventure with Steve and Steve's SO.

(You can have a sub-plot where Steve's SO is jealous of his and Emily's friendship, as a bonus-- a nice little homily on loyalty amongst friends, current- and ex-lovers)

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

CHARLEY

The story is the whole point of it. Its pretty hard to fuck up a great story, and its pretty hard to make shit into a story.