As creators, we believe that we are the gods of our stories. The tales we weave are of our construct and the characters are subject to our petty whims…at first. When we begin to craft our worlds and populate them with, what we hope, are well rounded characters, we usually do so with an ultimate plan in mind. The character will go here, say and/or do this and then the following will happen.
But more often than one might want to admit, we find that when our characters get to the designated place in our story they say something completely different and you are left sitting there, staring at the screen or paper thinking, “Excuse me?”
It is a very exciting and worrisome moment. You’re proud of how your creation is becoming their own person and you want to encourage that in some way. But then you look at your master plan, tap your fingers on the desk, and maybe try and urge them in a different direction. So they say what they are supposed to say and you both think your happy, but, lingering in the back of your collective minds, you know that it doesn’t ring true.
Characters running away with a story is more common than you think. Sara Douglass, the Australian author of the popular Axis Trilogy and its sequel, the Wayfarer Redemption, commented on one such character, Faraday, saying, “She was never meant to become a major character – she just “grew”. I couldn't control her.” (You can read the article here.)
So what do you do when a character suddenly becomes more major than you expect? There appears to be two options. First one is to say, “Tough nuggets sweetheart! We’re doing it my way!” but you run the real risk of producing forced dialogue and inconsistent actions from your characters.
The other? You sit them down and have a long talk. Reflect on what it is that makes them a strong character. Is there a place for them to grow and have more weight in the story? Can you mould parts of your story around them to accommodate them? Are you perhaps neglecting other characters? Could fleshing them can provide a balance? Take the time to understand their character.
And maybe just give them a little bit of leeway from time to time. What’s the harm if they go a little off script?
Want to talk more about this with us? This will be the topic of our Quackchat this Sunday evening at 5:30PM(EST). In the meantime, let us know if you have experienced this! What did you do when you realised this was happening?
Till next week lovelies!
Being a Generous God - when they go against the divine plan
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, May 25, 2018
7 likes!
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PaulEberhardt at 9:25AM, May 26, 2018
It's the main reason why I keep my master plan as open as possible, even if that does have its drawbacks. I might even say the plan follows the way the characters develop and not the other way round.
AmeliaP at 3:32PM, May 25, 2018
I'm a merciless inquisitor to my characters! If any character doesn't do what I want, I'll throw them more misery that they can endure. If strong characters dare defy me, I'll put them in their place. They are my b***h XD
Albino Ginger at 3:05PM, May 25, 2018
I haven’t had this problem yet for the Holy Bible A.G.V., but I sense some of the characters developing personalities that might fight back against the source material…
Tantz_Aerine at 12:55PM, May 25, 2018
Martha really ran away from me flipping me off. So did Basil. I love them both for it. Fotis hasn't quite yet but he's testing the borders.
KimLuster at 9:02AM, May 25, 2018
I've had this happen within single page...! Single panel, even! Sometimes you just smile - other times you wonder what strange entities are living inside your head!! This happened to Ann Rice! When she first started with Interview with a Vampre, Louis was her obsession, but Lestat's overpowering presence kept pushing... He wouldn't go away, and as everyone knows, he became the unquestioned Star of the Show!!
Banes at 8:34AM, May 25, 2018
This definitely happens! It might be easier in comics than in prose in a way - I find that if I'm looking at the characters as I develop the page/story it's less confusing somehow. I can see them standing in the background and feel what they're insisting on saying or doing, and how to make it work! Pictures and word balloons are much more concrete than prose. I get lost along with the characters way easier in prose or script form.
meemjar at 4:34AM, May 25, 2018
Same here. I created my comic 'Smorty Smythe' to have Smorty be the main hero and the others followed him. But I discovered that as I developed my supporting cast they started to dominate their own pieces of the story. I'm glad in a way that my other characters grew to be able to hold their own and even take the lead while Smorty casually goes along with their endeavors being the quiet anchor of strength rather than the leader.
usedbooks at 3:04AM, May 25, 2018
I do what I can to protect the little buggers. When they go off-script, I can no longer guarantee their situation will turn out well for them.
bravo1102 at 2:54AM, May 25, 2018
I gave up playing god. lol. I'm just a chronicler. They're on their own and I just write it down. But they know that if they do get out of hand too badly; I will kill them off. :)
Ozoneocean at 12:40AM, May 25, 2018
My characters seem to all want to slip into old clothes and uggboots and tell me to bugger off because they've had enough now and would prefer to do other things XD