When Characters Take Control
What happens when characters take control of your narrative? This is a familiar situation for many writers. It can be frustrating when the characters just walk all over your carefully planned outline. Our plans and early drafts are how we really get to know our characters and that means that things can change during the process. So let’s talk about when characters take over and whether you should let it happen or not.
Plans Change All The Time
Not everyone likes to plan their stories out but even ‘pantsers’ have some idea of what’s going on and where the plot will go. For others, having a detailed outline is essential for structuring and writing the narrative. I personally work with a combination of both but I spend a lot of time getting to know my characters, both through detailed backgrounds and profiles and through writing them.
However, sometimes people get stuck on their outline because they get through two thirds of the story and realise the next plot point makes no sense. Or the character has changed and their next move is now out of character for them, which can be jarring for the reader. Trying to force them to get back on track with the plan makes the writing feel forced, which can contribute to writer’s block.
It’s okay for things to change as you write. It’s pretty normal, actually. Your plan is simply a guideline for the original idea and if a new idea or direction feels better then you can absolutely follow the new path. I wouldn’t throw out the original plan and any scenes or chapters you decide to remove, though. Keep them in a separate file, just in case you want to refer back to them or use them somewhere else.
What if the Characters Take Over?
As you write, you get to know your characters better. No matter how detailed their profile and background might be, you’ll still find yourself learning things about them. As you understand them better, you know how they’re going to respond to events. You know what kind of decisions they will make.
This means that the characters ultimately take control of the narrative and can push it in unexpected ways, even for the writer. If that’s what is happening, I think it’s okay to let it happen if that makes more sense to you. Being too rigid about your outline can stifle the flow of your writing and block your creativity. So if it feels right, let it happen.
My Example
In my current work-in-progress, one of the secondary protagonists has been upgraded to a primary protagonist. Aidan Kynaston joins the other two main characters on their journey. However I felt he was introduced quite late in the story. He also has an important plot point later on, so I realised he needed to play a bigger role in the story.
The other reason was that the first half of the book focused exclusively on the other two main characters. So introducing a few chapters focused on Aidan before he meets up with the other two made sense. Including his point of view also facilitated adding more world-building and details about the stakes.
Aidan also decided to tell me an important dark secret which I could then show to the reader to add more of his internal conflict. It makes him a lot more interesting, especially in his interactions with my morally grey assassin Alonso. They’re getting to know each other and I think it’s going to be very interesting going forward.
So really, I had no choice but to upgrade him to a full main character with his own chapters and tell more of his story. I’m excited to see where this ends up taking him, alongside my other characters. I am having a lot of fun putting it together. I’m hoping to have it ready for beta readers very soon.
My Advice to Other Writers
If your characters are taking control of your story and the original plan no longer feels right, I would let it happen. Your best work will come by letting the story tell itself so forcing yourself to stick to the original outline can weaken your story.
I think planning can be a helpful tool to structure your writing and keep your story on track. But it doesn’t have to be rigid and set in stone. Characters can take on a mind of their own, but do you know what that means? That means they’re well developed and becoming who they are supposed to be. So if your characters take control, you might be surprised how much better your story is if you let them.
Have your characters taken control? Let me know your thoughts, and subscribe below if you want to see more. Every week I’ll be sharing some insights into my writing process or talking about a related subject.
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