It’s Tuesday, which means it’s Romance Weekly Blog Hop time!
If you’ve joined me from Veronica Forand, then welcome! 🙂
This week the questions focus on characters.
1. How much free reign do you give your characters during a story?
I give them pretty much completely free reign. Although I love to have a plan, some of the best things can come from the unexpected moments when your character’s take the story out of your hands!
2. Have your characters ever done something so out of the blue that not only changed your story, but changed the tone and maybe even the genre you were originally going for? (Like your contemporary romance turned into a spicy paranormal)
I’ve had some characters do some things that were completely out of the blue, but I don’t think it’s ever changed the tone or genre. Though, it could still happen 😀
3. Do you have one character in your head that is sort of boss over all the rest? Or do you decide who to work on and when?
On my current WIP, I have a group of characters and I do have to say I’m pretty good at managing to spend time on each. Out of the group, there are three who are the strongest and the main focus, so obviously they get more time, but I do have a character with a smaller role who just loves to push his way into focus every time there’s a scene! 😀
Now why not go check out what Victoria Barbour has to say in response to these!
How would you answer these questions? Do you give your characters free reign to do as they wish when you write, or do you like to stick to a plan?
A Writer's Life For Me. 
I feel the same way about a plan. I need to have one but also like to leave enough wiggle room for characters to develop 🙂
It certainly can add a lot to a story when you give a bit of room for change as you go 😀
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I love that…that he pushes his way to the front. I like him already 🙂
He certainly is one of those characters 😀
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Great answers Mishka! I find my characters can sometimes pull the story in a different direction. It can be complicated but it’s fun! 🙂
It can get very complicated when they pull it in a completely unexpected direction, but then that’s also the fun of being a writer 😀
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I also leave room for characters to act, though I have a loose plan.
I’m glad to know you don’t switch genres. I don’t like to be surprised like that. If a book is a paranormal, I’d like to know that going in, rather than for an author to suddenly add paranormal stuff.
Yeah, I don’t think I could go to the extent of a character taking a story in a completely different genre 😀
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I like to get to know my characters well before I start, if possible. Then they don’t take me anywhere too unexpected. ^-^ Although I can’t deny that getting to know them as I write is fun as well.
I actually had a side character, whom I had intended for just one appearance, and she ended up becoming a major part of the story and saving the protagonists life. Good times, hehe.
My characters aren’t allowed free rein. They must follow my plot to an extent and I’m sure they hate me being a control freak!
At least keeping them in check you know exactly where the plot is going 😀
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Ok. This is totally a panster/plotter thing. If I gave my characters free reign, I’m afraid they’d take over and hold my sanity for ransom!
That is a risk! I’m pretty good at keeping them in check enough so as the plot stays where I want it to go 😀
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You seem to have struck a fine balance between having a plan and giving your characters a bit of wiggle room. Sounds perfect! I need to have a plan, but I need to remember to trust my characters too. Great post!
Generally I’m pretty good at ending up with new, unexpected scenes when my character go a bit free rein, but not change the plan completely 😀
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The idea of switching genres mid-stream makes me break out in hives…
I know, right? I’m amazed at those that can pull it off! I need a plan or else I just can’t do anything! 😀
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Man, that’d take some doing, if I character could force a genre change on you. It’s one thing to give them free reign, but another thing entirely to have them summoning eldritch horrors into a lighthearted realistic comedy.
Ha! Very true 😀 Characters can go a bit wild sometimes, but thankfully mine do tend to stay with the parameters of my genre and plan!
Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
Great answers, my characters have their way too 🙂
Characters are the driving force in any story, I think. 🙂 It’s always so hard for me to balance out my characters’ screentime – one time it got to the point where I actually counted the number of chapters allotted to each character POV and then went back and added more chapters just so they could be equal! 😛
I know, right? Characters really can be very demanding at times 😀
Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
I know this focuses on romance, but it fits just as well with lots of genres. Good advice, Mishka.
I feel like my characters have free reign as well. Although I write a script of what is going to happen or take place in every moment of the story, it never goes exactly as planned–sometimes the main character proves me wrong and does something out of the blue!
It can be exiting or frustrating when characters get a mind of their own! 😀
Thank you so much for commenting 🙂