Characters are not listening to me. Help.

And not all characters are rebellious. Some are more like empty sock puppets that need you to direct them. I suppose it's a lot like a director working with actors. You need to know how to deal with both the divas and the wet blankets who need a lot more direction.

It might be that some writers don't experience characters with a mind of their own. Or possibly some just aren't very aware of that subtle tug they exert when they don't want to follow the script.

It's always just that for me, a subtle hint. It isn't like they stomp a foot and cross their arms and give you that pouty angry-face, or do an Axl Rose-style mic-drop. It's more like a hesitancy while you're writing something, or afterwards. Probably afterwards usually. And you think "Wait, would he really do this?" In weighing these situations you develop the character more, or come to understand it better.

I love these conversations, because they make me think deeper into this than I ever have. It all began as just subtle intuitions some time ago (on another conversation), and my ideas about it have developed mostly through these conversations and then paying attention to my writing.

 

And I'd better make the disclaimer here—it isn't actually that I see a character stomping his foot or doing a mic-drop, or refusing to do what I want them to. Of course not, this is all metaphor because how else can you get these ideas across? The mind's native language is narrative, and that uses characters and setting, so this is the most accurate way to describe these things.

When I say a character doesn't want to do something, what it really means is that after I've written a scene I realize I've somewhat misrepresented one of the characters. Really it's me getting a better idea about their personality or traits—beginning to see it in higher resolution. It's the same thing that happens when you edit. You write scenes, then you come back and read them and realize it's too rough and you neeed to make some changes. That's all I'm talking about, but it's character-specific.

 

No it's not like dealing with others in life. I can't use the delete key on others, but I can on my characters.

 

Well you can, but society has punishments for that...

 

Lacking a reality shaping keyboard, or even remote like click had.

 

Once upon a time, I went to school with a schizophrenic whose medication was failing her. Your post reminded me of her.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Jerry Pournelle, years ago. Great guy who would talk about anything but writing. He said he left that at the office.

 

Unlikely, but there is a small chance we are talking about the same person. The more I think about, the more I wonder, perhaps the people I talking of did not have the greatest grip on reality.

 

Seriously doubt it is the same person, but there are others like her.

 

I see characters can be so developed they have to take action in certain ways, not just in ways that we want written. If that writing we want is important, we may need to introduce new characters we will develop for that. Newer characters remain a possibility. Stretch them to fit the motivations for the needed actions.

 

I think I am finding out that I am in the camp that listens to the characters rather than the other way around. I think. I get to know them as I write them. Today for one particular character I went back and re-wrote the initial description of the character when she was first introduced because as I wrote more about her the initial description no longer matched. I especially get to know the characters after they have spoken.

Some writers make up complex character sheets before they start writing. That doesn't work for me. I get to know them as I write them.

 

Not disagreeing with you, but this question just occurred to me (as a general hater of character sheets—they're for pen'n'paper role playing games and nothing else IMO): what successful authors are known to work from character sheets?

 

I prefer to outline personality, wants and needs for a new character. It helps me get to know them before I start writing them.

 

Good point, I don't know of any authors that do this, it's just something I have read here and there on this and other forums.