Thread: Characters that won’t cooperate!!!

See.

garza knows what's up.

I had written a full, detailed outline for my current WIP before I started writing the first draft. Once I started writing, though, my characters completely took over. I tried forcing them into the situations I had outlined, but it felt so contrived that I had to give it up. Now, if you compared the outline to the current novel, you wouldn't even know they were the same story. It's ridiculous, but it's a whole lot more fun when I, as the author, don't even know what to expect.

I have to admit that this thread makes me feel much better. Ever since i began writing, my characters have done their own thing, even seeming, well, alive. They always let me know if something i want them to do isn't working or not what they'd do just then. Because of this, I have a much better understanding of them and their motives. Like above, my outline is much different than what has been written. Some elements are there still, but for the most part it has gone a different way.