First, you guys are so awesome. You all had such wonderful
things to say on IWSG on Wednesday. If I haven’t made it to your blog yet, don’t
worry, I’m on my way. You guys rock.
Second, I’m plowing away on a new manuscript. It has a name.
I don’t know if I should share yet. I love the idea of it, but already my
characters are getting into shenanigans of their own. And twice I’ve had to ask
characters to leave the scene (they gave me the finger and sat down front and
center). I’m not usually that person who talks about the characters like they have minds of their own. Usually, I know my characters, and they
behave.
Well, what did I expect from pirates anyway?
So yes, I’m writing a story about pirates who have to save
the world from a dominating order of priests with a tendency to burn people at
the stake for fun.
It’s in the awkward phase where my characters are giving me
the stink eye because I keep playing them wrong. It’s like I’m a bad director
with mutinous actors, and they keep doing it their own way. I’m sure we’ll negotiate
a cease fire soon.
Which brings me to something else: I’m not usually that
writer who talks about my characters taking off with a story. I’ve never really
been surprised by my characters before, and they most certainly have never
given me the finger. I’m a little taken aback (possibly even mildly offended).
And since my characters have never acted this way, I’m sort of in that awkward
place where I’m asking “but wait, how do I know you lot have the brains to make
a good story? I even outlined this one! I never do outlines!”
Mostly they have responded with, “You got any rum?” Not very reassuring.
Until recently, I’ve always had really well behaved
characters. Sure they’d surprise me with what they said every now and then, but
these characters feel like a force of nature. I’m sure this is some sign that
this book is going to suck, but that’s what first drafts are for: suckage. I
must now practice my new mantra: Revisions will fix what my characters break.
How about you? Do your characters hair off with the plot,
give you the finger and write themselves into something totally unexpected? Did
it work out, or did you have to revise the potato peels out of the manuscript?
Do you think it’s lazy writing to let the characters wander away with the
story?
