Help

[notanordinarygirl]

When the characters in your stories start talking to you and demanding to do certain things - how do you shut them up?

I have this character right now... her name is Mina. And well, I kind of want to beat her up with a shovel, write "NO" in her forehead and clothes, and then hide her possibly deceased body in the back of her lover's car (nevermind that he doesn't have a car... not like Mina hasn't tried to change that).

Here's the thing, I wanted a nice, quiet kind of character. The kind that doesn't even tell white lies and is never anything but pretty darn close to holy. I wanted to put this character in Salem during the Witch Trials, and I wanted her to be named Mina Wollstonecraft. I also wanted to write the story in third person omniscient.

The problem? Mina Wollstonecraft forced herself into my head while I was sleepy and I started writing in first person. As if that wasn't bad enough, she started lying, and good, well thought lies at that! She also demands that I change her name, as well as the setting of the story (she insists that she doesn't belong in the time during the Salem Witch Trials at all, and wants to live in this time instead). She has gotten to the point where she even wants me to persuade other characters into doing what she wants. (I'm seriously considering premature murder here. It's gotten that bad!)

So I got a question to other writers whose characters tend to "speak" to them (and refuse to do things, and try to change other things). How do you get them to shut up!?

 

[Tiberius]

Well, the thing is that you should always be open to changes to your story. You often can develop your story in new ways you could never have imagined once your characters have developed their own personalities.

So she's not doing what you want her to do. Maybe she can see something better. Only one way you're going to find out.

 

[Tissue]

You made the character. If he/she has a will of its own, it's only natural that you follow that will. Otherwise, your character won't be authentic. Plots are made with foresight, not force.

 

[jelly_bean]

You change them. Something about the way you wrote her up... or how you, yourself, pictured her, doesn't fit with the person you want her to be. Here's a trick, BEFORE you complete your character, and they are no longer able to manipulate as easily, get in your head a good picture of what you want her to look like. Some advice I got recently from a friend showed me that your personality leaks out through your appearance. I would've been skeptical had I not just done an exercise where I saw a picture of them, described it with words, and they said my description was accurate as to their personality(and I don't know this person well). I mean, this may not make any sense, but little things can change the makeup of your character, such as hair color(or style) and facial features. In your head, make her look quiet, genteel, nice to the max. Then when she starts putting those thoughts in your head, you'll know it's not even the right character, and she's meant for another story.(you may get to use her, you may not. but you may have to surrender "mina" or whatever she wants to be called to something completely different.)

Something about her character has now made her a pushy, aggresive, ambitious monster who's ruining your story life. I suggest you either 1) start over or 2) ignore what she's saying and tweak until she's as you want her. 2) can be tough because once a character is made, sometimes you can't go back. But 1) is tough because you started that way and you ended up with a type A drama queen. Your character, when she's as you want her, will not irritate you with what she's doing, because she's going to be true to character and that will be what you want it to be.

Hm, further suggestion is, maybe do something about her background. Give her a reason to be sad(which will nicely take out some aggressiveness) and give her a reason to want peace, be nice, and be good. I know this is awful, but why not give her a past with an abusive person? Or something awful happened with her parents? Give them a condition where they can't be excited, that way she grew up being quiet and nice and it'll be her nature whether she likes it or not.(Habit and all that) There are some things that you could and should ignore, and that's as to how you write in general. If she wants to be first person and YOU don't want it, remind yourself that YOU are the writer, YOU made up her character in the first place, and it's YOUR story you have to live with. Not her. She's in control of her actions, she must stay as true as possible to her nature, and she does have say in what she is like. But everything else, you can ignore because that has nothing to do with her and it won't make the story better to heed her advice.

And yes. Hope I helped a little bit, I know I had some trouble when I first started having fights with my characters... but I've always pictured them and thought them out(I'm not saying you didn't, but I'm very strange and am constantly putting myself in their shoes even when I'm doing something completely different simply because I picture scenarios all the time, keeps my thoughts moving), so I've never had them go completely against my thoughts for them. I've just had other major problems.

 

[notanordinarygirl]

Thanks for replying, everyone. I really appreciate it.

I've thought it out a little and realized that Mina just doesn't belong to her century. She's ahead of her time. There have been many people in real life that have been ahead of her time, however, so I'm not changing the setting of the story (as I explained to her). I've also realized that there is another reason why she doesn't want to live in that era, and it definitely fits the personality that I wanted for her (or the essence of it, anyway).

Mina's too much of a person now to change her, though. I'm just going to let her do as she wants, with certain restrictions that any real person would have.

The things that bother me the most are the ones that she tries to change when I just know that's what really happened (and I can tell, because another character -the one that's been telling me everything since the beginning - confirms it). But I know why she's doing it now, which is good, because now I know what really happened after a certain point...

(I'm confusing even myself).

The point is, I get Mina now, and am willing to let her do what she wants to a certain degree (she just can't mess with the bits that really happened).

My brain is dead.

Sorry if this doesn't make any sense.

 

[sunstruckdream]

do what your characters say.

if you find that intuition, you're blessed and lucky. go with it. they know themselves better than we do.

 

[Lindon Tinuviel]

You have found a voice for your character. That is a GOOD thing. A rare thing. A thing to be cherished.


But, I sympathize. Really, I do. My sweet little angel just started a catfight in the local coffeehouse.

I don't know what I'm going to do with her.

 

[firzenr]

You have found a voice for your character. That is a GOOD thing. A rare thing. A thing to be cherished.


But, I sympathize. Really, I do. My sweet little angel just started a catfight in the local coffeehouse.

I don't know what I'm going to do with her.

I agree to the above!

 

[Jeff91199]

Thanks for replying, everyone. I really appreciate it.

I've thought it out a little and realized that Mina just doesn't belong to her century. She's ahead of her time. There have been many people in real life that have been ahead of her time, however, so I'm not changing the setting of the story (as I explained to her). I've also realized that there is another reason why she doesn't want to live in that era, and it definitely fits the personality that I wanted for her (or the essence of it, anyway).

Mina's too much of a person now to change her, though. I'm just going to let her do as she wants, with certain restrictions that any real person would have.

The things that bother me the most are the ones that she tries to change when I just know that's what really happened (and I can tell, because another character -the one that's been telling me everything since the beginning - confirms it). But I know why she's doing it now, which is good, because now I know what really happened after a certain point...

(I'm confusing even myself).

The point is, I get Mina now, and am willing to let her do what she wants to a certain degree (she just can't mess with the bits that really happened).

My brain is dead.

Sorry if this doesn't make any sense.

Have you seen the movie Stranger Than Fiction? You - and Mina - will get a lot out of it. If worse comes to worse and nothing helps, there's always this thread: http://www.christianforums.com/t3684417-death-of-the-main-character.html

 

[WhoopsyDaisy]

If you've really taken the time to shape and really create a character, then they have a personality and character of their own. It's vital that you listen to your character. You can't make them do something that you know they would never do. Just like if you're the shy type, you would never walk up to someone you had a huge crush on and just start chatting and flirting away, right? If you make a character do something that's totally opposite their personality, then you'll only end up confusing and possibly losing anyone who reads your story/novel.