Allowing Your Characters To Go Where They Will

Once upon a time in a small northern Ohio village there lived a writer who had a blog, which was rarely updated because the writer did not log in to her Dashboard with an regularity or frequency.


My apologies.

When I logged onto the site today, I was horrified to see that it had been FOUR MONTHS since I've posted. So much for self-promoting through the written word.

But enough of that. I came on to address a subject that I think may be of interest to other writers out there. This post is probably geared more toward the fledgling writer rather than the seasoned one, but you never know. Even I, who have been writing since I could pick up a pencil, have fallen victim to this.

Every writer knows how important characters are to a story. They must be named properly, developed well, and become as real as a living, breathing human being. When they open their mouths to speak, a reader must believe what they say. Forced dialogue is SUCH a no-no.

So, here you are, the writer, sitting before your keyboard. From the deepest recesses of your mind, you have pulled this person. At first, it is nothing more than a blob of brain matter, but as your mind spins and your fingers move along your keyboard, "it" begins to take shape..."it" becomes gender-specific, and suddenly, he is a person, with a name, character traits, hair and eye color, and a distinct personality. He has purpose, problems, and is embarking on some sort of journey/adventure/mission.

And now that you've created this person and even given him the process of thought, what would make you think he wouldn't have free will?

It's strange, but characters--even those in fiction--really do have minds of their own. No matter how tightly you may pull the reins on them, they will buck you and sort of gallop off in the direction in which they are meant to go. And, trust me, it is always the right direction.

Normally, I am very open-minded when it comes to my character's desire to turn left when I have initially planned to make a hard right. I have learned over the years that it is better to sit back and enjoy the ride rather than attempt to climb behind the wheel. My character leads and I follow, helping him out here and there along the way. Kind of like a GPS, I suppose. And when the trip is over, I am always quite happy with where we have gone. 

However, about six months ago, I threw my own advice right out the window as I was writing my short story, "Safety Boy".

I had the concept: a dark comedy-vampire tale-horror spoof featuring a pair of very unlikely vampire slayers. Names came easily. Personalities? No problem. My conflict began when Brian "Safety Boy" McCoy showed me that he had a mind of his own.

As I was writing (and laughing at my own cleverness), Safety Boy's tale, as amusing as it was, simply wasn't going the way I'd thought it would. I would type. Pause. Read what I had written. Frown. Hit backspace. I was confused. Why wasn't this going well? The words were in my brain. There shouldn't have been a problem.

I stepped away from my laptop, left the room, and suddenly, it dawned on me. I had been very frustrated with Safety Boy because HE was trying to tell ME, his creator, where to go. I had devised Plan A, but he had a few plans of his own.

Back to the computer I went. My first draft went to Document Heaven, and I pulled up a blank document. Settling back more comfortably in my chair, fingers poised over my keyboard, I gave Safety Boy permission to drive, and we were off.

The result? A truly fabulous story, which has become my new pet project. As soon as Safety Boy's tale had been told, I submitted it to an editor, and within 48 hours, it had been accepted for publication. "Safety Boy" will be published in about two weeks, and the prospect of seeing his tale in print is extremely exciting--and just more than slightly gratifying.

What would have happened if I had not allowed my character to go where he wanted? Who can say? Would "Safety Boy" have been published? I'm confident enough to say probably, but would it have been as good? I can answer that with a blunt and unabashed NO.

I know, too, that if I had remained stubborn and had not given Safety Boy the freedom to wander, then I would never have been able to embark on an exciting new project--a series of books, entitled THE ADVENTURES OF SAFETY BOY, based on my original short story characters and their exploits into the world of the undead. In retrospect, I am shocked at where I had originally planned to take Brian and his best friend and brother in slaying, Thomas Horr. And I am really, REALLY glad that I had the sense to "listen" to Safety Boy's insistent nagging voice, even though, while writing his tale, I was privately thinking, "Shut up, dude. I know what I'm doing," and "Who does this kid think he is? I'm the writer here."

In conclusion, fellow writers, I encourage you to give your characters wings with which to spread and fly. And always, no matter what, allow them to go where they will.

Where did January go--and why has it been so long since my last post?

 I’m really looking forward to this year (well, the next 10 monmths of it since I somehow lost track of January, although that isn’t difficult to do since my youngest child just happened to choose to arrive mere days after the New Year. This, of course means that I have precisely 13 days to recuperate from Christmas, clean up the remnants of a New Year’s Eve party, store away the leftover bbq spare ribs and sauerkraut, and pack up the holiday décor before I bake a birthay cake and wrap even more presents in preparation for yet another party, all of which can be a horror story in itself.)


Oh, and did I mention my middle child? His birthday is right in the middle of this blustery, snowcapped month, and I have my work cut out for me as I prepare his medieval knight themed party, complete with a castle cake and gold bar favor boxes. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to get some sleep by April.


But birthday parties and sleep schedule aside, February is going to be a very busy month for me, on a professional level. And I certainly cannot complain about that!


To begin with, my newest short story, “Safety Boy” has been accepted for publication, and, if all goes well (fingers crossed), his twisted tales may just develop into a series of novellas.


So, as I wait for my galley proof to arrive, I have been working to embark on my newest adventure: the eBook. Or, in this case, to be more precise, the eStory.


Two of my previously published short horror stories, “As it Lies Sleeping” (Dark Things III) and “Guilt” (Dark Things V), and one previously unpublished story, a black comedy with a pinch of horror added in to spice it up, “Velvet Elvis and the Buckskin Rug” will be packaged into eBook format, and will go on sale around the first of March--or even sooner, if I'm lucky.


I'll blog more about the eBooks soon.




　

Upcoming Works

A brief update on my upcoming works:

My debut short story of horror "As it Lies Sleeping" will soon be in print! The tale will appear in the Dark Things III horror anthology, which will be making its grand appearance very soon.

The cover art for my novella, Immortelle, is now finished, and is amazing! Immortelle, the tragic tale of Aidan Bellafont, a centuries-old vampire who is willing to go to great lengths to restore his mortality and share his life with the mortal, Samantha Lovelace, will soon be available for purchase. To view the cover art and read an excerpt from my work, please visit my website.

http:www.evaglynnstephens.com

A Brief Introduction

Writing has always come naturally to me, and the craft has always brought a great deal of joy to my life. I penned my first "novel" (written in cursive longhand in two 60-page spiral bound notebooks) at the age of eight, and it was at that young age when I decided I would grow up and be a writer someday.

 A writer I became, spending long and lovely hours first with notebooks and pens, then with a manual typewriter (which later was traded in for an enormous, awkward, and cumbersome electric Olivetti), and finally with the magicl PC. It didn't matter that none of my stories were being published; I was writing! That alone was enough to satisfy my creative soul, and I quickly learned that although I was not "writing to live", I could most certainly "live to write".

I have practiced my hand at many genres, but through the years I have returned to dark literature: suspense, mystery, horror, and experimental fiction. As a matter of fact, my aforementioned debut novel was a mystery entitled Good Knight, which, at the tender age of eight, I found to be a clever and apt title for my work of fiction, seeing as how the entire story revolved around a haunted suit of armor that the tale's protagonist, Carrie Brown, just happened to find in the attic of her family's five-story home.

But I digress.

As I was saying, dark literature remains my true love. Admittedly, it can be a challenging genre to work with, as much of the subject matter is either odd, ethereal, disturbing, or just completely bizarre. And, more often than not, there is no happily ever after. But none of this impedes my taste for the darker side.

As time has gone by, I have found the courage to bring my writing to light. It has not been easy to quell the fears of rejection and criticism, both of which are very real pawns in the game of writing, but to obtain my ultimate goal, it is a necessity. I have been fortunate to move from a child with the dream of being a writer to an adult who has become a published author.

Many years have passed since the writing and completion of Good Knight, and my writing style has changed, progressed, matured, and improved, but the love and sheer joy of writing remains as brightly as the memories of that little girl seated at a wooden desk with an open notebook in front of her, a pen gripped tightly in one hand, who dreamed of someday becoming a writer.