As an agent I get to hear lots of different types of authors discuss their writing process and how they go about crafting a world, and especially the lives of characters.
One common refrain is that authors often go into a story with certain ideas about how the story is going to go, but all of a sudden, once characters really begin to come alive they take the story in a different direction altogether.
And this can really help out a story – while obviously the characters are only alive insasmuch as they’re in the author’s (living) head, this may be a way of expressing that the author is being true to the logic of a situation. The author has a sense of the character, and it’s important that the character’s actions are logically consistent.
At the same time, I always find it curious to hear authors so completely in thrall to their worlds and characters, and I start wondering, “Wait a second, who’s in charge here?”
Once the characters and worlds begin to take life it can be a danger if the author lets the characters take the story in a completely different direction. Willful characters can walk themselves straight out of a plot if the author loses touch with the story and instead just follows the characters’ whims.
My personal belief is that the story has to come first, but at the same time, I definitely think it’s important to listen to the inner logic of a character who is coming alive. Balance is everything.
How do you balance story while being true to a character?
Marsha Sigman says
You are asking this under the assumption that writers are sane, when obviously we are all borderline schizophrenic.
We admit to hearing voices and writing thier stories. If we didn't own them or control them to some degree…then we would probably be in an institution somewhere.
jmartinlibrary says
I feel so non-awesome after reading the comments.
With characters, I'm in charge. I make the characters up right? Sure, sometimes I weird ideas about changing them, but it's a totally non-magical process.
Does that make me lame?
Lily Cate says
I've found that, if after a while, the character I've written just doesn't fit with what the story requires, well, then maybe they belong to a different story.
Chantal says
I write up to a point (usually 10K), then I plot the ending (usually the last 10K). From there, I know the point of the story and I know what to foreshadow–and where. The middle is way easy after that, and the characters can control how they get there, but I already know where they're going, so I'm in control.
Kimber An says
I think it depends on if you're a character-driven writer.
My characters hunt me down, club me over the head, and drag me off to their caves kicking and screaming.
It should come as no surprise, then, that I love to READ books in which the characters do the same.
I don't care how awesome the book is otherwise. If I can't get behind a character's eyes, it's going to the used bookstore for credit.
Liesl says
I remember Orson Scott Card talking about something similar. He said he always hated giving critiques to new writers because he would ask, "What else could happen in this story?" And they would always respond, "Nothing. That's how the story goes!"
As if they didn't make it up.
It's fun to allow a character to seemingly drive your story in unexplored terrain. A lot of awesome creativity can come of that. I balance this in the revision process with tight observation of what's happening and why. Does it make sense? Is there something else that could happen that would make more sense or take the story in a more exciting/fulfilling direction?
L-Plate Author says
I'm a planner. Beginning, middle end, then split into rough chapters where the hooks could be, with bullet points only in each one. I expect that the characters will add lots of bullet points to the journey towards the end and I love it when I have to add in extra chapters to accommodate this. But the ending is always the same. It's the bits in between, the character's growth, that I let them loose a little.
Once I start a draft, I draft a quarter of the book and then comes the one and only read through until the end. This give me a sense of what the characters are turning out to be like. I never change them, but at least I know them by then.
Mary says
I see my story as the script. Sometimes the characters improvise but in the end they have to stick to the main story. I liken a writer to an actor on stage. They have to get into the character's mindset and skin to move the story in the right direction.
Anonymous says
Frankly, I think a lot of writers talk like this as a way of trying to appear legit.
It's like, "See, my characters are so real that I don't even think of a plot. They just tell me. Aren't I so a real writer?"
D. Ann Graham says
If they don't measure up to the standard, they're out. That isn't to say the standard of the industry, but rather the standard of that particular story. Highly entertaining to let characters go off on tangents, but if their little scenarios don't further the action, advance the plot, or define charater in some way, then they must be forever relegated to the mists.
I find it interesting that Steinbeck admitted to writing scenes that were for himself, alone, and never intended to be included in the final manuscript. They simply kept him interested and stimulated enough to keep up the flow of originality. I'm sure they were all as beautifully written as the rest of his work. However, it is a tribute to his professionalism that they are not there, and maybe even one of the reasons he is still great.
Ann
Jille says
1st draft: let the characters go hog-wild
2nd draft: lasso them in
Marilyn Peake says
Great question. I’m currently experiencing both situations with my current science fiction novel, GODS IN THE MACHINE. I tend to be an "out of the mist" writer, allowing my stories to seemingly arise out of a mist, rather than a writer who works from an outline. I usually know how my story will end before I start writing it, and I outline in my head as I go along. As my characters develop, the middle part of the story often takes different paths than the way I had originally planned to reach the end. For example, in GODS IN THE MACHINE, a poverty-stricken Mexican child is killed by bullies. I really didn’t want that to happen, and I sat and pondered it for quite a while before I wrote it; but it seemed like a natural development in the story, so I went in that direction. My test for whether or not to change direction in my stories is exactly how you described it: make sure the change is the result of "being true to the logic of a situation."
That said, in working with Editor Alan Rinzler, I immediately accepted his suggestion to get rid of certain characters and develop a few entirely new ones in order to increase the political thriller aspects of GODS IN THE MACHINE. He suggested, for example, removing a young woman who works in a bakery and adding a Senator because the political figure would be a lot more relevant to the futuristic government that is central to the plot. I immediately saw that Alan Rinzler’s suggestion would make the novel stronger, and I’m more than willing to remove some characters and create a few entirely new ones to accomplish that. He also suggested that I outline all the major revisions, and I’m doing that as well. As I write the outline, I’ve also been brainstorming ideas for additional futuristic technology to add to the novel.
Cheryl Anne Gardner says
Maybe the path the characters are trying to lead you down is one that needs to be explored, or maybe not. Can't really know that unless you walk with them a while.
Personally, I feel that as the characters come to life they help me come to grips with the true meaning of the story. I might start out with a Thesis in mind, but they help shed light on the subconscious elements, which, when brought to the surface, add an additional layer of depth that might not have been there if I had attempted to control them.
Terry says
My protagonist and I argue a lot. I cave more than he does.
But, I must admit, I always end up liking where he takes me.
Malin says
Just want to share an experience of not following a characters voice.
I began a novel with a very sassy girl as main character. I then posted an excerpt (pretty much a standalone chapter) in a creative writing group. Several people told me they found her arrogant and unlikable. I continued the novel, toning her down and making her more amiable.
85 000 words later and on a 2d edit, I suddenly realise the novel wasn't working. No way. It refused, it bucked and it flaunted intangible holes I could only sense and not explain.
Why? Because the new Jessica wouldn't do what I forced her to do to fulfill the plot (in fact, she wouldn't do anything, making the story just run out in the sand). The old, sassy Jessica didn't need complicated ad-hoc solutions to do what had to be done.
So, my warning is this. Don't fall for group pressure. Your characters are your friends. People might not like them – you might not like them at times – but you must stand by them and let them be themselves.
Rick Daley says
My characters own the first drafts, I own the revisions.
Other Lisa says
What Rick Daley said.
onelowerlight says
I find that the best way to make sure the story doesn’t stall in the middle is to make sure that the beginning is absolutely solid. Usually, I’ll start with only a vague idea of where I want to go with the plot, but if the beginning is sound, it usually falls into place like a line of dominoes. To have a sound beginning, the story question / main story arc has to be introduced in a compelling yet understandable way, and the characters’ motivations need to be well thought out. If the beginning is strong, I’ve found that I can let the characters run with the story and everything will still fall into place—it might end differently than what I’d initially expected, but it will still be a strong, coherent story.
Henri says
And then there's the "Purple Rose of Cairo", a great movie, where the characters step right out of the screen and into the action.
Josin L. McQuein says
It's like Michelangelo's words on sculpting: Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.
Every idea has story inside it, and every story characters. It's the task of the writer to discover them.
When you start a story, you have an idea in mind. As the story progresses, you assign the characters traits and actions that make up their personalities. You give them their own voices and histories. You make them living things with a beginning and an end so that their life began before the first chapter and goes on after "the end" .
When a character gets to that point, there's less give in their actions. What might have seemed plausible or passable two chapters earlier, isn't anymore. Two chapters ago you didn't know that you character was afraid of water because their sister held them under for three minutes when they were kids. Now that you know that, it doesn't make sense for them to be blase about diving.
Each layer adds hurts and victories that make up the whole, and deviating from the whole will "feel" wrong. Just as if you served BBQ at a vegan dinner. You know it doesn't fit with the people involved.
If your character develops into a risk taker, he's going to take risks. If he's trying to save his family, he's going to take a lot of risks. If he knows he's got two months to live – there's nothing he won't do because there's no reason to think he won't be dead soon anyway. It doesn't make sense for a character like that to be overly conservative in his choices.
Susan Kelley says
I decide the end of my characters' journey but let them decide how they're going to get there. Sometimes it's not the path I'd pre-selected for them. That's fine as long as they end where I've planned for them to end.
Cheree says
Interesting post. I usually let my characters make their own decisions, but if it gets too far from the story I know when to put my foot down.
Ren Black says
I just like to let them think they own the show. I'm open to their ideas, negotiations and even compromises, but in the end, I hold the ace because I know them, better than they know themselves. They are free to drive, but I own the road. I know what they want and what they fear and I exploit that, especially in revisions.
Tori says
When I get an idea I try and develop my main characters as much as I possibly can before I really get writing. I like to know who they are before i try and make them do stuff. They still surprise me though. My current WIP wasn't suppose to have a sequal, but the antagonist decided that she wasn't going down without dragging as many people with her as possible… and so we go.
Munk says
I'm not a big fan of "slice of life" stories. In other words I enjoy painting a crazy circumstance and imagining how my characters would react. I have to admit that sometimes real life creeps in… I have been grumpy at work lately and poor Booker is taking the brunt of my mood… on the bright side, it keeps me from kicking the dog.
Dave says
My characters can dictate how they respond to situations and events, but I decide what those situations and events are. That's what makes it interesting.
The Red Angel says
Good post! To be honest, I am in control most of the time when it comes to writing my novels and stories, though at times my characters will acknowledge me of a brilliant idea they have or a certain line that, once I realize what it is, MUST be used because it is so good. 😛
I think there is a mutual relationship…I am in charge most of the time, but my characters know they can always come to me if they have some ideas to twist and turn the plot. 😛
Anita Saxena says
It doesn't matter how hard I try to outline, the characters always take charge. Sometimes it makes sense. Sometimes it doesn't. But I just go with the flow.
Helen says
Some stories are more plot driven; other are more character driven. That's a choice the writer must make at some point, and in that way the writer is in control. If the writer doesn't make that choice, she'll end up with a mess.
Michael A. Emeritz says
Quite an interesting topic. I like to let my characters take control as much as possible, but the only place I allow this is in special journals that are separate from the actual work. A lot of times a characters dialogue will come to me when I least expect it. It will have nothing to do with any scene I've written, nor will it always apply to anything else I have planned, but I still write it out. I have to. A lot of the time I wont use half of the work that comes to me this way, but that other half is priceless.
I'm a lot like most here in that I like to allow my characters to persuade me in different directions, but ultimately I am the man behind the wheel, and I know where I'm taking them. If they wouldn't normally go there, then I know to write about how much of impact the chosen direction is having on them.
Actually a road-trip is a nice analogy; everyone wants to stop at different places along the way, but eventually you have to get where your going. I think it's important to know where I'm taking a story early enough so I can stay the course no matter what happens.
Anonymous says
Scotch helps.
Vacuum Queen says
I have always found it odd when writers say they just sat down at their computer and let the story take them away and go where it wanted to. WTH?! For me, I map it out, and map it out, and map it out, and on and on. Then I stand back from it and try to imagine living it to make sure what's happening would really happen…or at least would make sense if it happened.
But I'm in charge. Maybe too much.
Jil says
I see life as a pyramid. One thing leads to another, then another until the peak is reached. I set my characters a beginning and a destination, then it seems a natural progression with their own personalities flavoring the climb. I think they become more like my children. When I sent Mystical Wood off to my, then, agent in New York, it was winter and I felt terrible sending my characters off, alone, into that cold, alien city!
Stacy says
This is a very interesting post and I'm really glad you made it. Here's my situation–When I finished my first story (over 100 pages), I couldn't eat or sleep because of the ending. Not because the characters were wrong, but I actually found myself in a state of depression because the story wasn't resolved. After I went back and resolved it, I felt much better. Where my story started out to be a "Woe is me", it ended up being a sort of life lesson. I like where the characters took me. I lived in their world as I wrote. On days where I worked on happy times (romantic) I was happy (romantic), but those days where I had to delve into the blackness that happens in their lives, I was not happy (I will even admit to crying for them).
The thing is, I wanted that emotion in my story. It's supposed to be a deeply emotional experience and I wanted the reader to have that experience.
I call myself a method writer. I become a part of the world I'm writing about. Am I nuts? Seriously. I don't want to end up on the wrong side of sanity, but at the same time I want to pour my everything into what I'm writing.
This story hasn't been published (which may be my first clue on the whole nuts thing), but before I continue writing, I thought a good opinion might be worth outing myself for.
Joseph L. Selby says
I understand your question, but I would use different words. A story is both plot and character and only when the two are properly balanced does the story work. Now, I said balanced. Balanced does not necessarily mean equal.
I perceive a plot and envision the characters that participate in it. If a character's persona is incapable of participating in that plot, then the story dictates that either the plot change or the character not participate. I won't shoehorn a character into something (s)he wouldn't really do just so my plot can go the way I want it. I find that to be disingenuous and an erosion of the character I was working to build.
So, if things are out of balance, I figure out which one tipped the scale. Was it the character? And if so, what did the character do to change the balance? Can it be corrected or does the character have to go? Or was it the plot that changed things? Do I need to change it and if so, is this change better (for me, the change in plot usually leads to a better story).
For my current ms that I finished on Tuesday, one of the main characters was introduced only because I was introducing her twin sister as a character development for one of the (at the time) main characters. She was getting an apprenticeship that was letting her move out of the poor side of town. Not to be left behind, the twin finagled her way into the mix. I wasn't planning on that. Where does that go? Well, in fact, it went to change the entire conclusion of the book and the story is much better for it.
Mattyd says
My characters own me, and thank God they do, because I never have the vaguest sense of plot when I start a book. I get a character in my mind and simply start writing. Their life turns out to be the plot.
Sounds bizarre, I know. Three books later and I still think it's the damnedest thing.
-Matthew Dicks
Leona says
I'm definitely a panster and my characters are in control (until revisions 🙂
In fact, I had a character show up out of NOWHERE and he is now a cornerstone to the whole series. Where in the hell he came from, I have no idea. When he was first introduced, I wasn't even allowed to see his face but his character was strong.
I think as one who writes with only a general idea of where it HAS to go, I give more leeway to having my characters be in control. I've tried being the one in total control, but then all the characters all sound the same. *sigh* as a control freak it can be very frustrating to not have a character do what you tell it to do. I've tried forcing sometimes, but then the story sucks, so what
s the point?
In fact, during a revision, I had to pull out a whole story line, the original story line, because I tried to force all the characters to do what I wanted them to do and not what they wanted to do.
So, I guess it boils down to the characters drive the story for first draft and I get to do the revisions inn order to get the strongest story out of me and my characters.
Doing the "extra scene writing" can definitely help the strength of the characters and don't necessarily have to be in the main printed story. It just helps clarify their characteristics in your mind.
AjFrey says
My work is more character driven than plot driven, so I have to listen to them. Knowing how they would handle a situation is crucial, and knowing what they flat out will not do is imperative. Whole square peg in a round hole thing.
But on the other side I know when to reign them in. One character in particular I have to keep on a short leash. I mean if he had his way, he'd spend 4 days straight in a strip club blitzed out of mind – and no one wants to read that. Ok, well, most people don't want to read that.
Crystal says
I actually recently experienced this with my main character in a radio production I'm writing. I had all of the plot planned, but then when she came to life the situations I had planned in my head completely changed. I tend to try and balance plot and character, though lean more towards the character side as opposed to the plot side. As an example, I showed a scene to my critique partner, and they said that it didn't seem logical for the main to act that way in the situation. But when I looked at it again I had to keep it as is because that is the way she would have reacted in that situation. That one scene completely changed the chain of events that occured (but not any of the plot elements). So, in a sense the character did change the plot, but not overwelmingly so.
Anonymous says
This topic is exactly the inspiration for the he novel I am writing. It addresses the war between authors and characters. When the characters hate the way the plot is going, they try to give their author writer's block. (And sometimes succeed.)
I usually know there where story needs to go, but I've written myself into corners when the characters don't agree. I once had a character hesitate who didn't want to hesitate and I couldn't write for three days.
Nicole says
I use the Snowflake method by Randy Ingermanson. It helps really develop characters and let them roam free withing the parameters of your plot. I currently have some rowdy characters on my hands but as long as they stay in the lines I let them go with it. I am enjoying their antics 🙂
AlongTheBridge says
You say that story comes first, which is very interesting to me. It reminds me of the first sentence in David Copperfield. If the author has truly created a worthwhile character, and that character is the protagonist, then if the character refuses to carry out the plot, either that plot or that character must fundamentally change. Unless it's a secondary character, I always find it more rewarding to follow the character than stick to the plot. If the character leads me to a dead end, then I can always go back to the original plot outline and change whatever it was in the original character that made the plot incompatible.
Kathryn Magendie says
For me, character is everything, so my characters get to do whatever they want and I let them. They're smarter than I am, and more interesting.
My Semblance of Sanity says
I actually just had this happen…in the opposite way.
A charcter fell into my head like I bumped into her on the sidewalk.
I wrote 4 short blurbs from her POV and fell in love with her.
I have since put her "away" and banged out an outline for a YA novel b/c I knew what situations would push her to the limits and what would help her grow by the end of the book.
I will soon (after everything gels in my head for a couple days)go back and plug her into the outline and WRITE WRITE WRITE.
I am sure I may have to change some things…but this is too fun to ignore a muse like that!
Enjoyed this post.
Trisha Wooldridge says
Good question… In what I've written, the characters drive the story, and then it's my job to make it make sense. I have yet to have a time when they have taken a road I hadn't planned and then the story became better.
Also, I think it's important to keep in mind the drafting process. In the rough draft, no matter how you've outlined, you should take the opportunity to explore this world – and who better to guide you than your characters? Once you've gotten that sh*tty first draft down, then – then, by Jove – you take out the editor hat and say, "That was a great detour, but we can fix this bridge right now and cut 5,000 words right there." You know where that detour and path took you, it makes a great addition to the Worldbuilding Bible, but by the time you're editing you should also know the world enough play DPW and make more streamlined plot roads.
Nick says
I am God. That simple. I bear in mind what is or is not "in character" for a character, even pieces of their character which may not be made plain in this particular piece; not because of poor writing, but because there is simply nothing in the narrative to bring it up. But at the end of the day, it is I who created them and I who ends them. If the bank is blown to smithereens with my protagonist inside, well, he's shit out of luck. And of course, never let the characters be aware of your existence. It's best if you leave them all atheist/agnostic. No constant nagging in the middle of the night when you're just trying to enjoy a nice sleep.
Yessir, being God is a fine feeling. Now excuse me while I go sow havoc in fictional Austria.
Lin says
If I have created a character who isn't able to support my plot, then one of two things is true: I have not thought the character out sufficiently, which for me usually involves an entire backstory that probably may not appear in the finished work, or I haven't discovered the true impetus of my character – which will, if discovered, inevitably change my plot. In either case, more behind-the-scenes work usually solves the problem.
Once in a great while, a character will veer off course because he or she is so involving that an entire story should be crafted around him or her. I need a "smaller" person to fill the role the big one's co-opted. … I have no idea how or why that works.
Laurel says
I've had this happen. The characters went union on me and derailed the plot. I didn't let them hold the plot hostage, however. I performed a lobotomy on one of them and he filled my needs nicely.
Of course, as a retrospective lobotomy it took a lot more time to fix him up all the way through, but I can't have somebody all of a sudden grow a spine or become a coward if they exhibited no such tendencies previously. There has to be some logic to it.
It's good to be the king. You just have to remember that the things you've already written are not actually historical facts, but in fact figments of your imagination. That's the hard part, I think. In all seriousness, I get really attached to the events and people that pop out of my head so it's hard to let go of the way I thought things were.
You need to know where the story is going and make sure your cast of characters can allow for the exposition.
Irene says
I interview authors on the radio and always marvel at those who tell me that they have a beginning and an end and everything in between is dictated by their characters. Even structured authors like Colleen McCullough (Thorn Birds, etc.) say they don't know what their characters will do. Wait a minute, I say, you're the writer, you created the characters and they have to do what you say. Not so, says McCullough, sometimes I kill off a character who comes back and says I don't want to be dead. Huh? Well, it makes the writing life more interesting for the writer, not knowing exactly what comes next, no?
Anonymous says
I'm a new writer and this was a very helpful discussion. Thank you all.
It seems to me that with 6 billion corporeal people on earth and with each of us capable of imagining a couple hundred more, the author has to set the capacity and entry requirements for the book.
If the character isn't getting the story told, or developing the plot, there isn't room for the character no matter how entertaining or compelling they turned out to be.
I know the story I'm going to tell before I start.
Who goes along for the ride and where they sit depends on how well they contribute to telling it, or how much help they are in plot development and resolution.
I think I'll stick with that.
Thanks again.