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[RokofAges75]

I've had that happen, too, where characters kind of take over. I like seeing how characters change and grow through hardship.

Sometimes I can't help but feel a bit like how God must feel seeing us go through stuff... Not to go all "uber Christian Brian" on y'all but I mean like we put the characters through crap because it helps them in the end, because the bigger picture that we see is how the whole story goes and honestly, I feel closer to God writing with that in mind than I do in any church service.

That's a good point about God.  We're all sort of the gods of our own stories.  I feel that way when I'm struggling with whether to guide my characters in the direction I want them to take to suit my plans or let them have free will and choose their own direction.

[RokofAges75]

That's always been a petpeeve of mine in stories - be they books, TV shows, or movies - when the character is untrue to themselves. It's the reason why most TV show pilots piss me off.

For example, The Big Bang Theory pilot episode.... the character Sheldon is well developed to be uninterested in women later in the series, something that starts pretty early on. Like in Episode 2. The opening scene for The BBT takes place with Sheldon and Leonard donating sperm at a sperm bank and Sheldon says something about being uncomfortable making the donation and Leonard says to him "you're practically a pro at this" and then later in the episode a comment is  made about Sheldon having problems picking up women, but in a way that makes it sound like he's actually tried to. THAT IS SOOOO OUT OF CHARACTER. I literally can't stand the pilot for BBT because of it!!! LOL

Wow. I didn't know I was quite that irritated by it. :::crawls off soap box::::

Pilots can be so awkward that way sometimes.  You can tell the writers didn't have a clear picture of where the character was going at that point.

[Pengi]

That's a good point about God.  We're all sort of the gods of our own stories.  I feel that way when I'm struggling with whether to guide my characters in the direction I want them to take to suit my plans or let them have free will and choose their own direction.

I definitely felt "godlike" writing the end of Something Beautiful. I so, so, so, sooo badly wanted to make it end differently. I even went to the point of writing an alternate ending but it felt so fake and so contrived that I couldn't bring myself to even entertain the idea for more than a couple minutes. It felt a bit desperate, like I was actually losing something by letting the story play out the way it had to.

Of course if I delve into my own psychology with the personal purpose the story served, it makes total sense why I had that moment of hesitation. And why it couldn't end any other way.

I'm really having fun analyzing every aspect of SB and my psychology in it as I'm working on the OF. I'm amazed how much I'm learning about myself through it.

[mare]

Why do you guys start with the bazillion questions when I am on my iPod and can't type all the answers without making a ton of mistakes? I'm going to wait to answer these until I am on my desktop. But thanks for the MINE mentions!! I am pretty sure that goes into my list of pivotal scenes lol

[RokofAges75]

LOL We were chatty in here last night!

[mare]

Yes you were but at least it wasn't an off topic chatty lol

[FrickingKaos]

I love when everybody gets into a good chat, its so much more fun with a bunch of people.

[mare]

Yes, I wish everyone who just came to lurk would answer these questions as well. It would be nice to hear some other people's answers too!

[Purpura Lipstick]

I'm like Julie in that I don't see them as real in the literal sense but I do have a few characters that have turned the plot of the story because the way the plot was going wouldn't have fit their personalities.  Eve and Corin from Wulf's Bane are my two favorite examples of this. Even though the story is still incomplete those two change the story several times to fit their motivations.  Eve's little group of people was supposed to join up with Nick's group of people when they ran into each other, but Eve didn't like Rose soooo there went that.   

I've hesitated to do things to characters because of how attached I get to them but it doesn't always stop me from doing it.   Plot points have changed because of the flow of the story so killing off a character doesn't come to pass because it just doesn't work to kill them, not because I got too attached.   

[Rose]

That's a good point about God.  We're all sort of the gods of our own stories.  I feel that way when I'm struggling with whether to guide my characters in the direction I want them to take to suit my plans or let them have free will and choose their own direction.

I agree, that's a great analogy. There's some things I throw at them cause I knew at the get go that would be their "fate". But then on other things they have their free will which changes up my plans a bit, but not always the destination, just the journey there typically. Like in RMTW, Nick was NOT supposed to tell Kevin as early as he did. But as I wrote that chapter, I knew Nick not telling Kevin wouldn't work. It was too out of character and Nick made that choice for me lol.

[Carter-Orange]

Lots of pages to catch up on!

The stories I have in progress are Maybe Tomorrow and Unwinding Truth, both of which I need to work on. 

I can't concentrate on lots at a time, but don't mind the occasional one shot like the challenge stories or the round robins.

[Rose]

Have you guys ever had a story, or a chapter that seemed to have been purely inspired by a song that comes on randomly?

"Safe and Sound" from the Hunger Games soundtrack came on my computer, and it's pretty much fueled an entire Undead chapter. I feel like the entire chapter embraces that song and I can see the scenes in my head like a movie going to that song like a soundtrack.

[Purpura Lipstick]

I have a song that inspires me to write a particular character every time I hear it. Planet Hell by Nightwish gets me in the mood to write Corin. 

I can't think of any other songs off the top of my head that are like that for me, with stories, but I do know what you mean. Safe and Sound is on my list of songs to get because of the 'mood' of that song. 

[mare]

Songs do nothing for me and my inspiration. I am the poorest excuse of a professional musician ever! lol

[Rose]

Fail Mare, fail LOL