Ever had a character quit on you? Ever been trucking along, eighty seven and a half pages along and he just looks you in the eye and says, "I'm done."?
No? Me either...until Friday.
I was sitting here just minding my own business trying to work out another complicated scene between this dynamic couple, I mean there was a dog AND a baby - everything that is supposed to be right in a manuscript - and HERO looks up at me and...
Okay - simple disclaimer - I'm not crazy. I don't have a muse that taps me on the shoulder and inspires me to do things. I don't technically become the characters I create. I kinda sit up on a shelf and look down on them in their scene and kinda tell them what to say and how I want them to say it. I don't think that's crazy. Now back to our story...
...HERO looks up at me and says "You're out of your mind. I can't do this. This is not me."
Excuse me? Who created you? You will be as I say you are, damn it.
(I'm a little intimidated at this point because he approaches my 'shelf' and he's a really big guy.)
"I don't even like this girl anymore. She's argumentative and border line crazy. She's not the girl I supposedly fell in love with." (that's HERO talking) "You either fix this shit or I quit."
And you know what? He did. He just walked out the door of my mind and left me feeling like I'd lost my best friend. And you know what else? He was right. The HEROINE was ALL wrong for him. She was a bitch and - get this - Hero? He was insecure. INSECURE. Billy Bad Ass was INSECURE.
HEROINE even went so far as to say that to him and he agreed. On paper, in dialogue.
I don't know about you but I'm thinking that's what broke HERO. An alpha would never admit that in dialogue, heck I don't even think they'd acknowledge period.
So, after much consideration I've decided to give HERO a vacation (not that he gave me much of choice) and I've sent HEROINE to the loony bin so she can get treatment for her bi-polar disorder. Hopefully she'll be willing to share with me those wonderful reality altering meds that I only get when I fly
I'm learning from it and trying to coax HERO back...but he's really pissed and not answering my calls. Probably might have to hire some hookers and a midget to get him back in the game...I'm just sayin'.
Yeah, so maybe I am crazy.
So: Has this ever happened to you? Have any of your characters ever staged such a rebellion? Have you ever had that moment where you read what you wrote and wondered if you'd sniffed something you shouldn't have before you wrote it?
4 comments:
Great blog! That's hilarious!
I've had characters that just kind of fade away. I was writing a different wip when I realized that one of the characters had been MIA for about half the book. Where did they go? Taking a vacation? Appearing in another book somewhere? Hanging out at Starbucks?
Hee hee - funny. And so like a guy to just bail when it gets rough. Yes, I go back and re-read stuff sometimes and I'm like WTF was I thinking - a guy wouldn't do that. At DARA I did not attend that workshop on writing from a male's POV, but just hearing some of the feedback from it, I'm trying to be more conscious of what I have them say. I don't want anyone thinking my heroes wear leather deck shoes!
I've never had one leave, but I've got one now that probably should.
Multiple personality disorder is probably not the best character trait for my hero.
It's great that you have such a sense of humor about your writing.
The cartoon leaves out the video game area, which is at least the size of one of the sex areas.
I loved the blog. Never had a character up and walk out on me although sometimes they have a tendency to hide. Right when I get busy with something else, they poke their heads up and begin to make a nuisance of themselves.
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