Thursday, May 5, 2011

This happens when you give characters too much say...

Two reminders today! Remember to drop by tomorrow for another installment of GPF and if you haven't yet, please go check out the competition. :-)


As you know, I've finished my rewrite, exactly ten days ago. I knew from the beginning of the year that I would have to take a break so that I could put some distance between me and the WiP, otherwise the edits aren't going to work.


An excellent way to get distance is to start something else. Or work on something else.


Yes? Yes... Yeah... I can't hear any other characters. Because I have one character who decided to take up permanent residence in my mind.


I thought he'd go once I actually finished the writing. But... no. This is an excerpt from our ongoing discussion.


Me: Why are you here?
Him: Because I want to.
Me: Funny. Look. I finished the story you wanted me to write.
Him: Not all of it.
Me: Well I can't do all of it without editing. And for me to edit, you need to go somewhere else for a while.
Him: No.
Me: What do you mean no? I wasn't giving you a choice.
Him: (smirking) Yeah... and how are you going to make me go? I might decide to not come back.
Me: Look. Can't you just go visit with my muse or something?
Him: Aha nice try. No no. I gave you the idea. I pushed you to get it written. I'm the one doing the motivation since I took over from the muse. I want to see the story through.


Yeah... As I said. This is ongoing. At this rate, I'll be going into edits with his voice as loud as the internal editor's. That should make the process interesting.


Anyone else have characters who stick around when they shouldn't?

17 comments:

  1. Brilliant. I love it. The idea of this conversation that is, not your suffering. hehehe

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so get this. I'm so glad there are other writers out there with the same issue. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh yeah . . . I have one that won't go away for a book I've yet to write, that I may never write. Why? It's a sequel to a book I may never sell.

    ReplyDelete
  4. cool ..I love competitions in a good way..will check out and link in mine soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Misha, try some tequila. I heard it cures those voices in the head. Don't forget the lime and salt. If you were here, I'd totally go drinkin' with you girl.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Misha, I enjoyed your conversation :-) Funny, though, I do seem to recognise it. I suppose if we could control our characters then our stories would be just like we put in the outline and there'd be somthing missing. Maybe it's the price we pay.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Haha! This is why all writers are a little crazy. (=

    Stop by my blog and grab your award.

    http://jostorm.blogspot.com/2011/05/awards-and-seven-random-facts-about-jo.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nah... I think my characters got tired of me just like I got tired of them. We're enjoying our mutual break :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm currently working on two different series, and the characters have a tendency of interupting. It takes a bit of concentration on part to make them back up and continue working on the current ones. After a while though they fade, and then rear their heads back up when I need them. Love the blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Samantha, my half-vampire hunter, stays with me constantly. She's a woman of few words, but she has been demanding I finish the trilogy and write her story. I have the first one completed and published, yet I totally had to scratch the second and start over again. It's going much better yet it's put everything behind schedule.

    BTW, you've been tagged in my most recent blog!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Haha, characters :p There's these character that like to come around who's story's on hold, they still like bugging me from time to time though. I think Siron (from my current WIP) is the only character I've actually 'talked' with though.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sadly, I do. And sometimes they are more real then the real life conversations I have. Well, more interesting anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I don't have characters, I have tunes that I cannot get rid of. As much as I love the show Jeopardy, that tune stays with me too often.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hehehe Wendy, I love it too, most of the time.

    Likewise, Ciara. ;-)

    Angela, I suspect that that is why his lordship refuses to budge. Because I'll be looking for him when it's time to write the sequel.

    Thanks lots, Uma.

    Hehehe great advice, Michael! Would totally go for drinks with you too. ;-)

    Great point, Tony. It's that spontaneity that makes the difference.

    Hahaha Jo, that is probably the main reason. I mean, to us, hearing voices are considered normal. Thanks for the award!

    Hehehe Rachel, that's another thing. I still love my characters. And he knows it. ^_^

    Thanks Amy! Hehehe your head sounds crowded and noisy. How do you work through it?

    Lydia (or Elizabeth, not sure which you prefer), starting over can be quite frustrating, but it's bound to improve your story. Good luck! P.S. thanks for the tag. I'll post the answers tomorrow. :-)

    TayLyee, it's good if characters bug you for their stories. Means they're rounded enough to care. ;-P

    I know what you mean, Clarissa. I feel the same way. Are we on our way to become hermit-writers?

    Odie that happens to me too! Particularly Abba songs. Aaaargh! No! I started it again. >_<

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've never had this experience. Are you having ideas for another story featuring this character? That's great! I applaud how methodical you are about the editing and querying process!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I definitely have had this experience.
    Characters who force their way from minor to major.
    Characters who keep coming back.
    I think they are in charge not me!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hehehe Sarah I definitely do. I have three sequels featuring that character. :-)

    Al, I know what you mean. I also know that they're the ones calling the shots. ;-)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting! I love to read what you think.

Feel free to ignore the check-box saying "Prove you're not a robot." My word verification is off, but I moderate comments to posts older than two weeks.