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I don’t get bossed around a lot. In fact, I’m usually the person bossing others around—my younger sister (there are perks to be older), students (when I was a teacher), and at various times co-workers (when I was in a board or chairperson position).
But as a writer, I have found that I get bossed around a lot.
By my characters.
I know this is going to sound strange to those of you who aren’t writers. It may sound strange to those of you who are.
My characters tell me about themselves—and it’s not always things I want to hear.
Lately I’ve been dealing with this in conjunction with an historical I’m working on. I have a secondary character whose name right now is Andrew Sedgwick. Andrew has a baby face, and he’s the son of a duke. That’s all fine. But he also has this annoying habit of breaking out in song.
It annoys the hero because the times Sedgwick chooses to break into song are rather inopportune. It annoys me because I don’t know any nineteenth-century drinking songs, and now I’m going to have to do a ton of research.
For a secondary character!
This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. In my first historical WHEN DASHING MET DANGER, the heroine’s mother liked to speak in Italian. Did I know Italian?
Not a word.
Fortunately, the mother spoke bad Italian, but I still had to buy 2 Italian-English dictionaries.
Which I still have.
And which sit on my shelf doing nothing because none of my other characters, thus far, have been interested in Italian.
Writers, do you have this problem with your characters?
Readers, do you get bossed around at “work”?
And don’t forget to scroll down and read Shirley’s blog on an important health issue we all need to know about.
Filed in: Writers and Writing
Mar 23rd
2007
6:08 am
Haven Rich Said:
Yes!
Uggg, someone who understands. I was working on my last WIP but I thought it a bit to risky for a first novel, so I scooted it back a few years. With this came other options, like should I change the heroine or keep my hero a vampire. Should his best friend still be Alex. Answers: He adores Lindsey, too much to let her find a different hero in another book. He wouldn’t be himself unless he was a vampire, so vampire he is. And he doesn’t want to anyone annoying him or teasing him but Alex. So Alex is still present.
However, now I have a different character who wasn’t involved in the first plot idea. Anna (no relation to Anne Mallory hehe), she’s a witch with a capital B. That’s all good and everything, I can write that..it’s a good way to express any anger I might have haha. The catch, she’s French. Do I know anything about the French? No! All my characters have been strictly Englanders.
I’ve had bosses who were demanding before but characters, they are down right pushy!
*Sigh* At least Anna doesn’t show up in the plot for a few chapters, so I have plenty of time to research things she might need to know.
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Mar 23rd
2007
7:07 am
Shana Said:
I sympathize, Haven!
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Mar 23rd
2007
7:28 am
Kimberly L Said:
I get bossed around at times. But its the times that you don’t really want to be bothered. It’s like they know when to make your life a living hell. LOL
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Mar 23rd
2007
7:42 am
RobynDeHart Said:
Nope, not me, my characters are all very well behaved. I am in control…I think.
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Mar 23rd
2007
9:14 am
Judythe Morgan Said:
Shana,
I can so identify with what you say. My hero and heroine took over my current wip and morphed it into an inspirational romance. I thought I was preparing a requested proposal for a single title. People tell me I’m the control-freak bossy one. . .go figure.
Judythe Morgan
http://www.judythemorgan.com
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Mar 23rd
2007
10:44 am
Shirley Karr Said:
Totally, Shane! Alistair insisted he was an astronomer, and all I could identify in the night sky was the moon and big dipper. And yes, they take over only at the most inconvenient times. When I’m stuck, you’d think they’d pitch in, but nooo…
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Mar 23rd
2007
12:19 pm
Margo Maguire Said:
Somtimes they keep me awake at night, jabbering about what they’d done that day and what they want to do tomorrow. Then they tell me I’d better get up and jot some notes or – by morning – I’ll forget what they told me. Sheesh!
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Mar 23rd
2007
1:19 pm
Anna Campbell Said:
Oh,Shana, I HEAR YOU!!! Even over the clamor of these bossy characters in my head. My last book, I set out to write a really grumpy hero (well, I wouldn’t describe him that way by choice but he was one of those tortured alpha types who snarl at the world when they’re not arching their aristocratic eyebrows in cynical despair. You know the type!). But this guy came on as a sweetie and he stayed a sweetie and nothing I could do would change him. A real knight in shining armor when I wanted Mr BAAAAAAD! But every time I had a stern word with him about his behavior, he would sulk and so, unfortunately, would everyone else in my story. So what was a girl to do but let him have his way? Ooh, I wish! Sorry… Just a small fantasy diversion there. Ahem! Back to the subject. But somewhere instinct was saving me – so far, everyone likes this hero the best of any I’ve ever written. I think your characters often do know best! Frustrating as that is for a know-it-all Virgo writer to admit.
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Mar 23rd
2007
1:25 pm
Jenna Petersen Said:
It seems like secondary characters are more obnoxious than the main ones for me. Telling me they want their own books, etc.
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Mar 23rd
2007
2:29 pm
Shana Said:
Oh, Anna! You are such a delight! I feel much better now about my character problems. And I think you might be on to something–sometimes the characters do know best. But, shh! Let’s not let them in on that!
And I agree, Jenna. For me, it’s the secondary characters that cause most of the problems. Margo, I feel your pain, too. I have learned to jot down my character’s directives even when I am absolutely certain I will remember them later. I won’t, and I’ll drive myself nuts trying to.
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Mar 23rd
2007
3:18 pm
Haven Rich Said:
Another problem:
When they intrude on my shower. Hello, it’s not that big in there..I can’t have one really handsome vampire and strong willed heroine and her two jabbering friends. Plus just the idea of them watching me…it’s enough to cause me to wear my bathing suit while showering haha.
Have a good day ladies!
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Mar 23rd
2007
4:37 pm
AndreaW Said:
Jaunty Quills…we love those secondary characters!
Let them keep talking to you, Shana. Especially if one of them might perhaps turn out to be another Freddie…*sigh*…love him…
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Mar 24th
2007
8:35 am
Rainy Said:
My problem with bossy secondary characters is that they don’t seem to realize they are secondary characters! Before I know it, they become scene stealers and often end up becoming more intereting than the protangonists.
It reminds me of the times when I was a child reading my Sunday missile and becoming more fascinated in the colorful scenes in the missiles than the homilies. It was all the background people that caught my attention. What were they thinking? Why did they look like that, etc?
But you can’t have your second banana become the top guy, can you?
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