Story Evolution

[secretdesire]

I started writing a new story a few days ago and my characters have evolved on me. They're too real and vivid now for me to force them into doing things that don't feel true to who they are. So, I'm faced with the dilema of altering my original story plan and seeing where these charcters take me (could be risky, although I could always edit later if it got too long and rambling) or finding a way to make the characters fit the original storyline. Anyone else ever run into this?

Also, in allowing these characters to live (in my mind) for a few days, I've hit upon several different directions I could take the story instead of the simple path I'd set them on originally. Decisions... choices... Arrrgh!

I think I'm lost at the inner circle of thought.

 

[damppanties]

I knowwwwwwww

That happened to me in my last story. I started out writing a NonConsent but it turned into a Romance (I wonder how???). I tried forcing the characters to do what I'd originally planned but it came out so bad that I cut out the whole thing and started again. The Romance was better. SO, I think you should just let the story take its own course. Of course you can write the original story you intended to write after you finish this one. Don't force the characters into doing something they shouldn't be doing. It won't sound genuine.

quote:
secretdesire says:
Also, in allowing these characters to live (in my mind) for a few days, I've hit upon several different directions I could take the story instead of the simple path I'd set them on originally. Decisions... choices... Arrrgh!

That's great. So many new stories!!!

 

[Star of Penumbra]

This is exactly what happens to me when I write. The story takes on a life of it's own, and I feel like I'm not making up the story as I write it; I feel like I'm writing down something that's already happened. I hated it when I first started writing, but now I've learned to accept it.

It also helps lessen the blow from bad reviews, but on the downside, it takes something away from the good reviews I get.

Well, if that's the way it's gonna be, then so be it. No sense fighting an unwinnable battle.

 

[secretdesire]

Glad to hear I'm not alone with this! Thanks for the input.

I actually found a good compromise to my dilema. By altering the relationship of two of my four characters, I think I can still take the story in the same general direction I had wanted, but without forcing it. So I'm rewriting an early section of the story that established who they are and fixing a few kinks along the way. Then I can get back to the progression of the story. I'm more excited about how this is going to play out now.

 

[Quasimodem]

It's Like A Sub Section of Murphy's Law.

The tighter the plot and more developed the characters, the more likely you will suffer from character mutiny.

If you have a well-defined character, and plotting is loose, it will probably do what you wish. The result is usually a character driven story.

Characters who are easily moved through a tightly constructed plot, are seldom well defined. The result is a plot-driven story.

Moving a well-defined character through a tightly-plotted story usually requires major surgery on the character, the plot, or both.

The well-defined character who moves easily through a tightly-plotted story is a GIFT!

Great when it happens, but don't count on it.


Quasi.

 

[damppanties]

Eeeeeks!!!!

Quasi, ur AV is scaring me. This is the third time I came across it but just can't get used to it!

Holding my beating heart,
-DP.

 

[Quasimodem]

It could be worse, Damp!

I could have posted an actual photo,
rather than a virtual picture.

 

[damppanties]

Nah...

...I'm sure you aren't that bad. Well, a little bit of the scary part is that I'm here alone at 4 a.m.

-DP.

 

[OT]

character are people too

I'm a long time reader and rookie writer of erotica.

I had such plans for the couple in my first story. As a writer, I assumed that they would be my puppets and I would be able to make them perform all of my hottest fantasies.

As the story unfolded, the characters took on a life of their own. My first two posting turned into barely R-rated romances.

I'm getting better at recognizing "decision points" in a story. If you miss a fork in the road, your prize porno star ends up being prince charming.

O.T.
peek at my posts

 

[80niner]

You aren't really writing until your characters start saying things you didn't know you knew. By all means let them have their say and take you where they may. You will have to edit later on but this is where creativity begins. Be happy you are now in the writing stream where good things happen.

80niner

 

[80niner]

You aren't really writing until your characters start saying things you didn't know you knew. By all means let them have their say and take you where they may. You will have to edit later on but this is where creativity begins. Be happy you are now in the writing stream where good things happen.

80niner

 

[Guest]

You aren't really writing until your characters start saying things you didn't know you knew. By all means let them have their say and take you where they may. You will have to edit later on but this is where creativity begins. Be happy you are now in the writing stream where good things happen.

80niner

 

[wildsweetone]

hmmm

where's that one word poll thread gone when ya need it eh?

 

[horny_giraffe]

To make the plot of my story "climax" as I prefer, I usually write the story backwords. That is, I write the scene that I want to include, and then I work backwords to justfy the character's actions. It's much easier to get the story I want that way. It's more work, though.

By analogy, watercolors can be very beautiful, but it's difficult to put the paint exactly where you want. This is similar to writing a story from the beginning and letting it evolve. The story may not reflect your vision, but some very interesting things can come out of it.

On the other hand, writing a story with a specific effect in mind can be much more difficult, like drawing with pen and ink. The textures and details must be added in a very precise and controlled manner, or the whole thing becomes an absurd caricature of your intent--a humorous cartoon.

 

[ronde]

Characters should feel like real people if the story is to be plausible, and this means they need more than one face. We all, as a minimum, are the person we show the world, the person we show to a few special people in our lives, and person we see every morning in the mirror, and the person we wish we were. I try to give my main characters at least a couple of these, and "change faces" in response to inputs from minor characters and situations that arise. In this manner, I can direct the flow of a story in a straight line from start to finish, or to allow it to bounce around a bit along the way.

It helps for me to have a general outline of where I want the story to go, define a few key scenes, and then allow the characters to go there because of their "natural" reaction to the people and situations they encounter. This can be difficult if the characters are very simple, because as one asks the question, "How would this person react to this situation", the answer will dictate where the story goes. It is much easier, and more believable, if I give the characters more than one level on which to react. That prim and proper female finance manager got to that position by being cold and logical, and she will always react that way if you keep her in management situations, but she might respond differently if you put her in a situation where she can peel off that face (which she really doesn't like anyway), and be the person she really wants to be. Put her on that long awaited vacation in Maine, where she can walk in the woods like she did as a little girl. She'll probably go all romantic and feminine on you, and when she meets the college girl doing research on the environment, she just might discover the softer side of sex. Get her drunk because her boss is grooming a younger woman for the promotion she wants, and she might take the bartender home just to prove to herself that she's still sexually attractive.

 

[Karinthia]

I have trouble when I've had too long to think on a story. I write the ending in my mind, then try and cram (?cram?) , manipulate and conjole the characters to end up where I want them at the end of the story. Most times I find myself more frustrated trying to get them to STAY than if I had let them have their will and wander thru the story as they wish. most times, the place they end up is much better than I could of thought up.

<sigh> Okay, how many other folks talk about the characters like they are a seperate entity??

K

 

[rocketrider]

About a year ago, I began writing an erotic short story that I had planned to submit to Literotica. As I began writing, the characters and their personalities began taking shape as if they had minds of their own. The erotic portions were soon dropped, and a forceful story based on historical fact was born.

Well...that's the way they wanted it.

For the most part, I gave them plenty of room. They seemed to be happy with their existance and took special delight in telling me their individual stories. I felt that even the villians in my story had the right to speak out. All I did was write down the character's dictations.

Circumstances, situations, personal conflicts, and sub plots where born in such a way that I had a hard time explaining the story to my friends. I was afraid they might think I should be commited for having multiple personalities. They may have been right.

Well, to make a short story long, I finally finished my first rough draft about three weeks ago. Since then, I've been busy transcribing my manuscript to my computer those sections I wrote using pen and paper.

I still have at least three chapters to finish before I start final editing. Maybe, with any luck, I'll be done by Christmas.

I love it.