One of the things you often read about being an author is that your characters can take on lives of their own. I used to eye this claim with a good deal of skepticism. Now, though, I’ve seen it first-hand…
Yes, I’ve written out lists of options and answers to questions, and chosen from them. I’ve outlined how I want the story to go and what has to happen to lead to my desired outcome. I read about “planners” versus “pantsers;” people who plan their story out versus people who just start writing “by the seat of their pants,” and realized I’m a planner. But that doesn’t mean my characters always cooperate…
One of the best examples of this (for me, so far) was when I set out to write a chapter with the working title “local child meets the 3 main characters.” (Yea, I know, horrible title, but hey.) So the 3 kids set out, la di da, going about their day… and something else happened. They never got around to meeting the local kid.
Hmm, I thought, let’s try this again. Take 2. The 3 kids set out, la di da, going about their day… and once again the local kid fails to show up. What’s going on here? Why won’t they do what I want? Better try again…
In that case, the third time was a charm. The local kid was right where they were supposed to be at the time they were supposed to be there, the 3 other kids met them, and everything went like it was supposed to. Yay!
Will the two accidental chapters get incorporated somewhere else? Maybe… if I can manage it!
In another example, which takes place shortly after the local kid meets the other 3 kids, I started to write a chapter where the four of them, plus the local kid’s pet, had made plans to get together the next day and go on a picnic. So the next morning when the 3 kids open the door to the local kid, and the pet isn’t with her… My reaction was “What? Where’s the pet? What happened? Don’t tell me it’s dead – it can’t be dead!” Where did that sentence, with “no pet,” even come from? I was taken aback, to say the least.
Then, relief – the pet was fine, had just gone to the vet to be fixed. Whew! That chapter went off in a totally different direction, naturally, and the picnic had to wait for another day.
Sometimes I feel like this story is a film I’m watching or a book I’m reading. Rather than creating the story, it’s more like I’m observing it unfold, and I’m just following along in order to find out what happens, myself. I have an idea – as if I’d read a review, or someone had told me something about the plot – but I don’t know the details yet.
I’m not sure if that’s how this whole business of characters-taking-on-lives-of-their-own works for others, but that’s been my experience. Have you had anything similar happen? If so, did the resulting “accidents” lead to new ideas or directions for your story?
The DNA Club 