Post about characters on the other blog

[jacey]

There's one of those neat little graphics going round facebook that says: Main Characters: You do everything you can to raise them right, and as soon as they hit the page they do any damn thing they please. Well, that's right and it's wrong at the same time. See my blog post here: http://jaceybedford.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/character-self-determination/

Comments

[seawasp]

I don't actually resonate with that line at all. My main characters do exactly what I want them to do. They have no self-determination. At most they surprise me with little details which aren't relevant to the main story.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I have written as both a plotter and a pantser. I like writing a book by the seat of my pants to see what happens, but I'm more productive if I plot, so with publishing deadlines I'm leaning more towards plotting.

I have had characters go off on one, but mostly it's because my plotting hasn't been meshing properly with the character profile I've built up and my subconscious is trying to tell me something. Usually another go through the outline shows me where I've been trying to make my protagonist (or antagonist) do something for the sake of the plot which is out of character.