Weird In-head Character Experience- Can You Relate?

[justadarling]

I've tried it before. When I was taking my SAT last year, there was a passage about violins. And you know who loves violins? My character, Roderick.

So I pulled him out of my subconscious and held a telepathic conversation with him. It was an interesting experience because it allowed me to test how much of a distinctive personalty he has. It was nice because his responses came immediately like an actual person and I didn't have to sit there and think "What would Rod say to this?"

[hshaver13]

NibbleKat

hshaver13

NibbleKat

So, some of us who write carry our characters around with us at odd hours of the day. For example, this weekend I was in a very large Asian market, delighting in all of the exotic stuff to be had on the shelves. In my head, I had along with me my character Edie, who I think would very much enjoy a trip like that, as well.

Now, for some time it was just her. And then, the other main character in my book, Jedidiah, pops up and wanders around with us. He's been dead since 1833, by the way, a ghost.

I tell myself that this is a good way to really get to know my characters.

In my novel, they're not particularly romantically inclined... at least, I thought they weren't. I just hadn't wanted them to be/planned on it/cared for it to happen.

And yet, while I was "walking around with them" in the market, they were hanging all over each other.

O_o

How did that happen?
Does that affect my story?
Is my subconscious trying to tell me that I should lead them in that direction?

And, has anything like that ever happened to you?

Share!

Happens all the time to me. I consider it to be the characters' way of telling you this is what they want.

I know at least ONE of them would want it, were he still human. Hur, hur, hur.

I don't do many human characters and if I do use them they tend to be background.

[Kairi Nightingale]

NibbleKat

I am one of those who disagrees with this. Yes, I write the story. Yes, I can say, "I'll put them in this situation." But, they're their own people, as it were, imaginary as they are. Therefore, if I were to say, write my character Jed into a scene where he tries on a lacy tutu and loves it... it would be words on a page, it would be me controlling it, but it wouldn't be Jed. It'd be a character who had the same name, but not him, and definitely not true to the story/character/theme/etc etc etc.

Actually, it just wouldn't be old Jed. Tutu-loving Jed would just be revised Jed. You could change Jed to love tutus, you just choose not to because that's not how you want Jed to act. It wouldn't be the Jed you picture or want or what would be best for the story. Regardless, whether you choose to make Jed tutu-loving or not is still entirely up to you. Whether that decision is a good one or not is another matter entirely but Jed's not making the decisions here and that's what my point was.

Besides, what I was referring to in this case wasn't changing the characters themselves at all but rather referring to changing events within the story. My characters would be perfectly capable of falling in love with each other in other circumstances, for example. My plot just happens to not provide the opportunity for them to do it and I'm reluctant to change it because the benefits of having a romance does not out-way the severe plot derailment that would accompany the endeavor. That's what I meant when I said it was up to you on whether to try your romance or not - if it's not going to derail your story, themes, or characters, go for it. But if it will, then you may not want to do it. If your characters are developed and can stand on their own, then they should be fine no matter what you decide in this case.

I hope that clarified my position a little bit more. ^.^; Anyway, I'm really glad that my post helped in some way. ^.^ Best of luck.

[NocturnFox]

I am not a writer, but I have some character...they star my daydream and just silly thought
hmm...if you get carried away with all the fantasy there, the character can sometimes turn a bit sue.

[LucindraBee]

It's actually rather common for me to do this with my characters, often in the car when I need to soundboard out loud and no one is there to do it with me. Niobi is my most companionable car mate.

Otherwise, they usually just throw themselves at me when I'm off my guard. Doesn't matter where. Viktor and my friend's character, Ashley, are especially good at this.

[t o l e k s z i]

o_O Good to know I'm not the only one who started doing this lol. I've noticed it happening a lot more recently, kind of like my characters are developing on their own in my subconscious whether or not I am writing them. Without really trying to, I will react to something or begin to ponder how I would react to said thing if it were to happen to me, and along with my own theoretical reaction will come my characters'. I think it's true that they all share an exaggeration of parts of our psyche but I wasn't exactly expecting this. It's literally as if the thought of their creation allows them to thrive individually on a theoretically plane of existence and develop on their own. I feel more like a parent to thought-children rather than in full control of a fictitious character's life. For instance, I find even if I do occasionally imagine them in a scenario or playing out things in a way that I wouldn't like for my story, I can't ever un-do that thought about them. It turns into more of a, "let's just pretend that never happened and I won't tell anyone if you don't" rather than being able to erase it entirely from part of their history.

It's both odd and totally amazing to me, to say the least. x_x