Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

How the story changes

There are times like now I start to write stories and changes start to happen with the characters. The minor characters started to take the place of the major characters and make the major character become the minor one. I am writing a story that is happening now.

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Permalink Reply by JM Benavidez on October 31, 2012 at 4:37pm

I do this all the time. My underdog becomes the hero! Yay minor characters with such appeal =)

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Permalink Reply by john m rakes on November 1, 2012 at 5:24am

Thanks for the insight. I am glad I am not the only one.

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Davenport on November 3, 2012 at 12:27am

You'd probably really enjoy reading Steven King's "On Writing." In it he discusses that you should avoid plot and outlining and approach the story as an idea. In that manner your characters don't go into the story with any set roles (ie: main character or supporting character). When you do that, its very like your story is an artifact, and you're an archaeologist digging it up. The story can surprise you and make changes and unpredictable things, and when an Author is surprised by his story, the reader will be as well.

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Permalink Reply by JM Benavidez on November 3, 2012 at 2:16am

I love that concept! I very rarely outline my stories because I like to live it with my characters and be just as surprised as they are when events turn out differently than I originally expected.

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Permalink Reply by Cleveland W. Gibson on November 6, 2012 at 12:54pm

The down side of what you've said might be a continuous story , one that you never finish and have published. How does that suit you?

The pure good part of it all is you, the writer, are in charge and need to be particular. being lazy will offer the quickes route to Hell. Make notes on your characters and make them interesting and memorable in order to change the content of your characters from1D or 2D to being 3D. How list out the things the characters say about themselves. Then list out what others say about them. And then list out what actions the character has taken in the past. Put those three elements together and the foundation of the character becomes rock solid. People often are not like the weather so now go and show people what your characters are like, and what they stand for.

Good luck

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Permalink Reply by JM Benavidez on November 6, 2012 at 5:43pm

Thank you for that detailed insight Cleveland. I never thought about it like that. I'm going to have to go back and reconsider some of my characters =)

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Permalink Reply by john m rakes on November 9, 2012 at 3:26pm

I think I have to be more specfic. I have a secondary character I was using to tell the story. His character became stronger as I began to put him and the story got better so I decided to give him a better part, not all my secondary character have changed this way, but sometimes I find it does and I think its great if the story becomes better than when I first started.

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Permalink Reply by Stacy Eaton on November 20, 2012 at 1:50am

I love when my characters control the story and take it someplace I had no idea it was going. Two weeks ago I was sick - my characters would not play nice. It was like they wanted a divorce - and they weren't even married!!! Then sent me back to bed. This past weekend I made up for not writing when I was sick and got 16K words done. My characters rocked the pages and took the story to places I didn't expect. I love when that happens!!!

I also totally understand when the minor characters become bigger. This one I am writing, I had a guy in it as a very minor character - but then as the story progressed, he all of a sudden became this big bad guy and I had to go back and change him up at bit from the start to make it lead that way better.