[markobeezy]

...is a new and exciting concept for me. I've always heard that you should develop your characters first and simply arrange the situations for them to live in. This has made my writing so much easier. Gone are the days of structure and planning and streamlining my books to cater to the plot. Now my characters are REAL and they decide what happens!

I know this is a well-known mindset for you veteran writers out there. I just wanted to share my epiphany.

Best,

Mark

 

[nikkarina]

...is a new and exciting concept for me. I've always heard that you should develop your characters first and simply arrange the situations for them to live in. This has made my writing so much easier. Gone are the days of structure and planning and streamlining my books to cater to the plot. Now my characters are REAL and they decide what happens!

I know this is a well-known mindset for you veteran writers out there. I just wanted to share my epiphany.

Best,

Mark

Luckily for me this is the only way I know how to write. I am far to lazy, and terrible at organizing to write out my characters and each little quirk about them before I start the writing process. I am happy you have discoevered this method! Now, It will come naturally and be more enjoyable for you! Congrats!

 

[RoseInTheTardis]

I'm such a huge believer in doing whatever works for you and taking all writing advice with a grain of salt.

I tend to let my characters take the lead. Even when I flesh them out first and write an outline (which I do maybe around draft 3, since my first draft is almost always an exploratory draft), I find they do things I didn't plan or do the opposite of what I'd planned and it works out for the best. It can be so much fun to sit there and go "HOW DID YOU DO THAT. I told you to do the other thing and you are acting on your own." LOL.

 

[markobeezy]

Luckily for me this is the only way I know how to write. I am far to lazy, and terrible at organizing to write out my characters and each little quirk about them before I start the writing process. I am happy you have discoevered this method! Now, It will come naturally and be more enjoyable for you! Congrats!

It only took 4 books to reach this enlightened state

 

[nikkarina]

I'm such a huge believer in doing whatever works for you and taking all writing advice with a grain of salt.

I tend to let my characters take the lead. Even when I flesh them out first and write an outline (which I do maybe around draft 3, since my first draft is almost always an exploratory draft), I find they do things I didn't plan or do the opposite of what I'd planned and it works out for the best. It can be so much fun to sit there and go "HOW DID YOU DO THAT. I told you to do the other thing and you are acting on your own." LOL.

AHAHAHHA I thought I was the only one who constantly yelled at her characters for having a mind of their own. Dang those unruly little rebels! However, have to love them for creating the story for me!

 

[Lummox JR]

...is a new and exciting concept for me. I've always heard that you should develop your characters first and simply arrange the situations for them to live in. This has made my writing so much easier. Gone are the days of structure and planning and streamlining my books to cater to the plot. Now my characters are REAL and they decide what happens!

I'm actually trying to move away from this concept. It works well for me, but it makes it darn hard to work out a plot. I'd like to learn some kind of happy medium where I can loosely plan out a few things to have enough structure, but make the characters still seem real. My story craft will be a lot better if I can master some modicum of planning.

Either way, characters still need a certain degree of freedom just for the sake of dialogue. The freer they are, the more interesting they are. And a good writer has to be able to listen to their characters, I think, so they can adapt if a character's nature is pulling them too far off the story arc. If the character has to be changed to make their actions make sense, the author needs to know that before the book gets published, so readers don't think they were just shoehorned into a particular action.

 

[katherinef]

Once upon a time I planned the whole book, prepared all the details about the plot and everything... Then my characters laughed in my face.  My characters always do what they want. It's annoying sometimes.

 

[GWakeling]

Hurrah! Glad your characters have come to life for you now, Mark. Like others have said, it's the only way I can write. I have milestones and goals to reach, but generally my cast get up to whatever the hell they like during a first draft. They're constantly doing things I don't want them too...but that often makes a better story than the one I'd originally planned!

Geoff

 

[Kia Zi Shiru]

Before writing I think up my characters, they live in my head for a while before I start asking them what happened during the time span I plan to write my book on. Usually I already have a couple of ideas for where the story will be going and I apply them to it. Then I just keep asking questions so that I've got a broad idea for what is going to happen. I write out the time span for everything and after that all bets are off.
My characters can do whatever they like as long as they stay within the structure of the few (usually up to 3 to 5 for a 30 K book) plot points I've got. Quite often they are simple points. "First kiss", "they fight", "X confronts Y". So setting is often not a set thing.

 

[AndreSanThomas]

No one way works for everyone, but as it happens, this is my way too.  

The first time I realized that my characters were in charge, I wrote a threesome for Kyr.  He was happy about and had a lot of fun, but by the next day, I was in BIG trouble.  Ielle was hurt that Kyr enjoyed that threeway so much (even though they were common in their world), so then Kyr was mad at me for hurting her feelings.  Nobody would talk to me for three days.  Finally, I had to delete it and give it to someone else before I could move on.  Once I did that, they all forgave me and we went on to finish that book and (so far), three more.

I learned my lesson.

 

[H. S. St. Ours]

I'd like to learn some kind of happy medium where I can loosely plan out a few things to have enough structure, but make the characters still seem real. My story craft will be a lot better if I can master some modicum of planning.

I try to write the beginning and end myself before the characters rebel and take over. That way I sort of know where we're all going, and then I allow myself to sit back (I don't always have great posture at the keyboard) and enjoy the ride. 0

 

[Mark Feggeler]

Little bit of outlining, little bit of character sketching, then off to the races I go. That seems to be working for me.

Although, there have been times I felt my characters were ready to hire a ghost writer rather than sitting around waiting for me to get on with the job. Feisty little buggers. Sometimes they really do need to be kept in check.

 

[Cheryl Douglas]

This is the strategy that works for me. When I start a book, I have a vague idea of who the characters are going to be and a blurb. That's it. Then I let the characters write the book. Now if I only I could learn to type fast enough to keep up with them. 

 

[markobeezy]

Letting the characters take over seems to be the norm, not the exception. I think this style is also genre-dependent. For example, you can't write a historical fiction without some serious structure, research and planning. But for horrors and thrillers? Sit back and let the book discover itself...

 

[Caddy]

For example, you can't write a historical fiction without some serious structure, research and planning

Not true. My series is historical fiction and I am completely seat of the pants. Of course, after I have written for a couple of days I go back and research to see what adjustments are needed, what historical events might have surrounded it, what they wore, how the situation would be handled, etc. The research for me comes AFTER the characters tell me what happens.

Right now I am painted into a corner and researching how to handle this latest conflict my character finds himself in. His life depends on me doing it right.

 

[cekilgore]

I try to write the beginning and end myself before the characters rebel and take over. That way I sort of know where we're all going, and then I allow myself to sit back (I don't always have great posture at the keyboard) and enjoy the ride. 0

^^This. It does seem to keep everyone happy; until the next book, at least...

 

[markobeezy]

Not true. My series is historical fiction and I am completely seat of the pants. Of course, after I have written for a couple of days I go back and research to see what adjustments are needed, what historical events might have surrounded it, what they wore, how the situation would be handled, etc. The research for me comes AFTER the characters tell me what happens.

Right now I am painted into a corner and researching how to handle this latest conflict my character finds himself in. His life depends on me doing it right.

You're doing the same thing, just backwards. You couldn't write a historical fiction about Julius Caesar and have him one day decide to travel to Japan. You couldn't let your Genghis Khan character wage war in Africa, etc...

Of course, with fictitious characters you can do more, but you still need a thorough knowledge of that time periods' events, cultures and commonalities to qualify your book as historical fiction. But I seriously doubt you charge headfirst into a book like that without some healthy research.

 

[jlmarten]

You're giving freer reign to your right brain. At least that's what the prof who taught the creativity class I had many years back would say. Your brain's left hemisphere, being the lineal, logical, plotter, is the opposite of the free-wheeling right side. Every time I try to plot and plan, it all goes out the window in the end anyhow. Best case scenario: strike a balance. That way, serendipity plays a part in creating surprises, but those surprises advance plot/story rather than create plot or theme inconsistencies.

Sorry, didn't mean for this to come off like a lecture.  

 

[A. S. Warwick]

Its truely amusing when the characters tart leading you off on paths you never contemplated, towards destinations you have no idea exists and to events you have no knowledge of.

 

[Caddy]

Of course, with fictitious characters you can do more, but you still need a thorough knowledge of that time periods' events, cultures and commonalities to qualify your book as historical fiction. But I seriously doubt you charge headfirst into a book like that without some healthy research.

So you are calling me a liar? I DO charge headfirst into the story. The healthy research comes later to flesh it out. Drama is the main part of my historical fiction. My characters are fictional, not real people from history. The backdrop is historical fiction. For instance, in the first 2 books it it nineteenth century France and the bohemian art era of Impressionism is in full swing. The main story can be written without much knowledge. Then I did one hell of a lot of research to make it sing. Much more time was spent on that than the story itself. The story poured out. The research? Not so much. It can out slowly through lots of work.

I will agree that if I was writing about actual people (like Caesar) I would need to do research first. Historical Fiction can take many shapes. Sometimes, the characters are not historical but the environment is. You can't group all historical fiction together.

My writiing of the story is seat of the pants. My characters dictacte what happens. I love when a new character pops up or a new situation. For instasnce, I had no idea gangsters and speakeasies would be part of book 3. Tristan Michel must have, though, cuz he sure led me there. As it typed out, sometimes I looked up things, but most times I told it and then filled it out with facts, etc. Same with book 4.