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Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: mare on September 14, 2010, 03:52:03 PM

Title: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on September 14, 2010, 03:52:03 PM
Did you ever find as you were writing that no matter how hard you try, your characters decided to go in a different direction than you previously intended?

This is happening to me right now. Suddenly one of them dropped a bombshell on me and I have literally been arguing with my own story for two days trying not to write what this story wants me to write! lol

I'm still not sure who is going to win but I know nine times out of ten, i'll just go with it and have to come up with a plan B.

Have you ever fought the urge and just written what you had always intended to? Or do you just go with your gut and hope the characters will guide you in the right direction?


Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Rose on September 14, 2010, 04:06:13 PM
Did you ever find as you were writing that no matter how hard you try, your characters decided to go in a different direction than you previously intended?

This is happening to me right now. Suddenly one of them dropped a bombshell on me and I have literally been arguing with my own story for two days trying not to write what this story wants me to write! lol

I'm still not sure who is going to win but I know nine times out of ten, i'll just go with it and have to come up with a plan B.

Have you ever fought the urge and just written what you had always intended to? Or do you just go with your gut and hope the characters will guide you in the right direction?

Yep! In RMTW I originally did not have Nick telling Kevin first, or that early. I argued with him so much till I finally went with it. It was for the best, looking at it now lol, but at the time I was so irritated with him, cause I had it all worked out LOL. Same thing happened when he wanted Brian to know,  my Nick character made that choice, not me lmao. Though that one I went  with easier cause I agreed with him after awhile LOL.

Even though I argue with my characters, usually I go with them and hope it works out. I figure the muse/characters would know better how their story should be told. 
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: TheDistantHeart on September 15, 2010, 01:40:55 PM
I fight with my characters ALL the time. At the moment, I'm fighting with Nick in my fanfic Ice Cold Blood about how he's going to react when he and the other guys get unexpected visitors, whom they absolutely CAN'T use at that moment! I want to go for the calm reaction, but Nick wants to have a huge temper. And because of that, I can't start writing on the next chap and that means I'm not able to update. Damn you, Nick! >:(  lol!

Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: cabybakes on September 15, 2010, 08:59:39 PM
Welcome to my life...
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Sakabelle on September 16, 2010, 06:49:22 PM
YES!  When writing In Pieces I had a very clear outline and exactly what I wanted to happen from beginning to end and as I started writing I ended up having to change most of it, and it really screwed up my entire plan. 

It's very annoying.  But I ended up going with what the characters wanted - they know themselves best, after all.
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: RokofAges75 on September 19, 2010, 04:33:32 PM
So frustrating!

I think this is why I'm stuck on Guilty Roads.  I'm stuck on a Nick scene, where what Nick probably would and should do is not what I need Nick to do for the rest of my story to work, and I'm not sure how to get around that.  I need a way to justify Nick doing something that doesn't fit his character, or work out a Plan B for him doing anything else.

I think this is partly why I like writing medical dramas, because I get to be a goddess and decide the characters' fate, and they just have to react to what I throw at them.  There's only so many decisions they can make, and it's pretty easy to figure out the consequences of those decisions.  Suspense stories are a lot harder!  LOL
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on September 19, 2010, 04:39:05 PM
You can always threathen Nick with death or dismemberment of some kind lol maybe that will work?
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: RokofAges75 on September 19, 2010, 04:41:00 PM
Hehe, he knows I would do it!  Maybe I'll have to try.  At this point, I don't really care; I have too many stories and not enough time. :(  (As I sit here wasting precious writing time LOL.)  I'm thinking I'm not even gonna worry about it until I finish Curtain Call, since that's a big part of the reason I neglected GR the rest of the summer, and then I'll go back to it and figure it out.
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on September 19, 2010, 06:08:35 PM
Yeah, somtimes that's the best thing you can do although I want to make the girl in curtain call fall off the stage or something so this way you'll go back to GR lol Can I have a cameo and do that? Kidding...as long as you're writing something, that's all that matters.

Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: RokofAges75 on September 19, 2010, 06:32:32 PM
LOL
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Rose on September 19, 2010, 06:44:47 PM
LMAO no you can't do that! I like Cary, she's one of the rare female leads I don't wanna shove off a cliff.
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on September 19, 2010, 06:51:44 PM
it'll only be a broken ankle lol nothing serious.
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Rose on September 19, 2010, 06:55:35 PM
Just injured enough to give Julie time for Guilty Roads/Coma Kevin right? LOL
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on September 19, 2010, 07:05:54 PM
Yes! Maybe she'll get amnesia! Added bonus in the angst department. She'll be wandering around aimlessly and end up in Amish country lol Two birds...one stone!
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: yorkielover88 on September 20, 2010, 07:36:20 AM
I'm laughing reading this thread thinking about what the guys would say if we where righting srcipts for movies that they themselves would be in. Man you could just ask him to change how he is in real life and wam! Problem solved LOL!
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: cabybakes on September 20, 2010, 04:21:36 PM
Most recently, I almost gave Quinn in Casual an eating disorder...I had it written and everything but I deleted it.  I want to finish the story and if that nonsense was in there, it would be another gazillion chapters to go!  I am fighting back now...I will finish this story in 5 chapters and if the characters try to mess with my plan, I'm going to jack them up :)
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on September 20, 2010, 04:51:21 PM
LOL aww! I know i've been really good with staying at least three chapters ahead of myself for Lurks but because of the end of thos last chapter I haven't been able to move on because the characters want me to go one way but I want to go another. Now i'm only two chapters ahead!
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: RokofAges75 on September 20, 2010, 05:55:11 PM
Most recently, I almost gave Quinn in Casual an eating disorder...I had it written and everything but I deleted it.  I want to finish the story and if that nonsense was in there, it would be another gazillion chapters to go!  I am fighting back now...I will finish this story in 5 chapters and if the characters try to mess with my plan, I'm going to jack them up :)

That sounds like a good call.  You could always save the eating disorder thing for another story.  Sometimes you gotta just know when enough is enough in the drama department (LOL speaking from experience) and let go.  It feels good to finish a story you've been working on that long!  Congrats on being so close; you're almost there!
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: cabybakes on September 20, 2010, 11:00:33 PM
Thanks, Julie...and good for you, Mare!  I am hoping to get a little bit of the inspiration that seems to be in the water and do some writing tomorrow.  Hopefully, the characters will cooperate!
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Carter-Orange on September 21, 2010, 11:30:15 AM
Good luck with getting your characters to do what you want them to do :)
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: LenniluvsBrian on November 26, 2010, 12:47:25 AM
Yup. NMW - we'd have something planned out, then Ellie would suddenly appear or Seanie. It was mostly Seanie I think 'cause Ellie was mostly the result of my whining - haha.

But there are moments in my other fics to, where I'll sit here for awhile, arguing with them in my head because I'd it all planned out, & now they wanna go & do their own thing. The nerve of them!

~Lenni~
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: alota_cookin on November 26, 2010, 10:53:03 PM
I've been having SERIOUS issues lately with LATB...neither Baylee or Nick have cooperated worth a DAMN, for a long time! >:( Updates have been pretty spaced out because of it, too.

I don't really outline much but I had everything pretty well planned out to be ending withing the next few chapters...but Baylee and Nick are fighting me on that, big time. There's still a ton of stuff Baylee is wanting to do and I'm fighting back but kinda losing the battle. LOL. I find it funny yet frustrating.
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on November 26, 2010, 10:54:41 PM
Yeah, Nick is pissing me off too! lol
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Rose on November 26, 2010, 10:55:51 PM
Nick pissed me off last chapter lol. I went with what he chose, but damn if he didn't make it more difficult.
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: alota_cookin on November 26, 2010, 10:58:43 PM
So what you're saying is that I'm not the only one with a stubborn Nick ??? ....what a jerk. LOL Can't he just play nice and do things OUR way?
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on November 26, 2010, 11:21:17 PM
Apparently not lol
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Purpura Lipstick on November 26, 2010, 11:59:44 PM
Nick is ALWAYS giving me a hard time!

Though I did have story where Kevin wouldn't behave and he changed the entire course of the story.
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Pengi on November 27, 2010, 07:42:46 AM
So what you're saying is that I'm not the only one with a stubborn Nick ??? ....what a jerk. LOL Can't he just play nice and do things OUR way?

Beat him into submission.
Use duct tape and hand cuffs if you must.

He does after all enjoy that.
And honey, so will you.  ;)

 :D
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: evergreenwriter83 on November 28, 2010, 11:53:26 PM
Beat him into submission.
Use duct tape and hand cuffs if you must.

He does after all enjoy that.
And honey, so will you.  ;)

 :D


Haha I was going to write something VERY similar...grea t minds think alike :)
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Pengi on November 29, 2010, 07:48:31 AM
Haha I was going to write something VERY similar...grea t minds think alike :)

Buahahaha ;)
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: LenniluvsBrian on November 30, 2010, 10:28:04 PM
A.J. seems to give me the most trouble - lol.

~Lenni~
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Carter-Orange on December 01, 2010, 02:28:51 PM
I'm fighting with Kevin in Rewind at the moment.  Damn him! lol
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: mare on December 01, 2010, 03:53:30 PM
aww come on Kevin! I want an update!
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: FrickingKaos on December 21, 2010, 07:58:34 AM

Nick and I fight all the time. Doesn't matter what the story LOL! Kevin is giving me a hard time in Attack Of The Clones, and Nick is giving me a hard time in Figured You Out. Silly boys!
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: yorkielover88 on December 21, 2010, 12:14:59 PM
Brian is being a bad boy for me. I'm having trouble making him shy an innocent. Lol!
Title: Re: fighting with your characters
Post by: Carter-Orange on December 21, 2010, 01:34:39 PM
I had a fight with the characters in my Christmas challenge, I did intend Nick to be the main man but Kevin won.