I've talked about how my characters love to overshare--and how it’s my job to be the gatekeeper between their trivia and the reader’s experience. But let’s back up a step.
Writing, for me, has always been about the characters. I can count on one hand the number of story ideas I’ve had that weren’t centered on the hero and heroine--and I’ve had a lot of ideas over the years.
Only a slight exaggeration.
My first published book? One of my critique partners read the draft and said I had all the character actions and reactions nailed, but they were playing off shadows. Draft two involved beefing up the plot that drove those responses. I’ve come a long way since then. I’m better at layering plot and character reactions now. But even with all that growth, I’m still a character-driven author.
Because my hero and heroine leave me no other choice.
I’ll notebook out the perfect plot idea for a scene--something that would work perfectly--and if either of them doesn’t like what I’ve written? They go on strike. Refuse to move forward. No words. No momentum. Just silence.
On my third book, I spun my wheels for six weeks. Six. Weeks. I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t write forward. And then it hit me--I had the hero taking an action he would never do. One paragraph. That was it. I changed it, and the story unlocked. I finished the book.
You’d think he could’ve spoken up earlier, right? Before I wasted six weeks? And I was on deadline. I didn’t have six weeks to spare. I ended up burning some serious midnight oil to turn that book in on time.
These days, I catch it faster. If I feel stuck, I usually figure it out within a week. Sometimes the problem is buried several chapters back, which makes it trickier. Like, why didn’t you go on strike then so I could fix it sooner? (And find it easier!!!)
There are times I really wish I was the boss of my books. It would make my life so much easier. But I don’t even get to pick my characters’ names. No joke. They pick their names and let me know. I used to fight it. I tried to assert my dominance.
They responded by leaving me spinning my wheels. No words. No progress.
I surrendered. My hero and heroine are the boss.
