Voices... revisited...sort of

[Curt]

I mentioned in an earlier post that one of my characters hears voices in her head. Okay, I did after all create her, so I guess I can deal with that, but did I also mention she's doing her level best to take over the story?

She is.

Can't say that I blame her either.

Much of what takes place in the story is the result of a series of events she set in motion, but for the most part she's behind the scenes, appearing occasionally to A: distract the reader and B: offer bits of timely if somewhat cryptic advice to my lead. And that as they say, is where things are starting to get interesting.

Now, for reasons even I don't quite understand, she's begun advising me.

That's right...you saw it here first....my characters (well one of them anyway) are starting to tell me what the story is about, and how it should be told.

Okay, I can deal with that. After all, the character in question came up with the ending (which I do have to say is rather clever) as well as one of the events early on to get things rolling, but come on...do I really have to listen when she tells me how to introduce my lead?

Her suggestion, which by the way is pretty good, is to open with my lead already a few hours into her crisis.

Two of them actually.

Crisis one is a younger sister who's suddenly gone missing, while crisis two is an event from her past that picked now of all times to come back to haunt her. ( not that she's ever went too long without thinking about it, but why now, of all possible times?) Her problem of course is the nagging thought that the two might be related. If they are (and she's afraid that's the case) she'll be forced to go back to a life she's tried to put behind her while at the same time being at least civil to an ex she wishes she'd never met in order to sort out what's really going on. I got the feeling she and I are both in for a few surprises before this thing is finished.

[Curt]

"Character is plot, and plot is character"

I read that somewhere, and often wonder if the person who first said it also let a piece of their own personality find its way into one or more of the characters they created. I know I have, and I think I know why.

In my younger days I dabbled in fantasy/role playing games, and often found myself 'becoming' a particular character during the game(s). For me at least, the best way to describe how a character will behave is to become that character, in that situation, armed only with the knowledge and skills that character has, and ask myself "What are you gonna do?" That's why I mentioned that I too am in for quite a few surprises as this thing develops...I know the 'what' (well, most of it anyway) but have little or no idea 'how'. I'm leaving that to my characters.

[Evan Marshall]

Wow, I would say that when characters start telling you how to write your story, they're as real to you as actual human beings. That's what writers strive for.