Characters Rule!

And the Sun

If the characters take control of the plot line(s) you just have to go with them, or expect some trouble. My latest novel has taken turns I wasn’t expecting; characters being formed, I wasn’t expecting and ideas getting in from the ‘source’ through my cranium, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t expecting. (See ‘Heads Full’ for more about the ‘source’.) ‘The Mirror’ was fairly tightly plotted, if I recall correctly but it still had surprises. As the writer we want to be thrilled and excited too. But this latest work seems more as if it is forming itself. During the writing of ‘The Mirror’ I would often awake in the early morning or the late morning (you know, depending…) and have sorted out a plot problem or a twist in the narrative or a great new idea. I’ve begun to do this now with the current novel. Just the once so far but it’s early days. As I say above, in this new narrative the characters have already imposed their will and the novel I ‘intended’ has shifted slightly with more weight on a particular theme. Not only that, and I can’t give anything away, there’s a technique I’m using that might confound the reader to begin with. Reward later!
This afternoon I ventured from my self-imposed cell and walked out into the sunshine. Not just that I walked out of the city and into the countryside. Then I followed the wall of a castle, it being to my right and to my left a wood bursting into life and flower. Enough to raise one’s spirits. And these spirits had been raised the previous night when a new friend (and a published writer) heaped more praise on ‘The Mirror’. But then when this happens I tend to panic and think - what am I to do? Early on I made the decision to go through Sycamore Publishing and thus do everything myself (re publicity) rather than wait aeons for an agent’s acceptance (my experience with them hasn’t been great - I have had two in the past, I’m still open to offers) or go into multiple slush piles. ‘The Mirror’ had to be date-stamped. Already the ‘present’ is catching up with its ‘future’! I got there first though and its in print.
I walked a long way - and by the time I returned I was physically tired and only managed to write a few hundred words. At least last night in bed I was able to go through an imagined sub-plot in my head and make a few notes this morning. I wonder as I’m writing where the inspiration is coming from, yes the ‘source’ of course, but also some deeply embedded memories and influences, I think. Also, I had to do some drumming and I ended up re-imagining a song, a three-way writing project, that I recorded in a rough demo form.
There you have it. The peasants revolted (how fitting when I have been in the grounds of a glorious chateau) and the sun and the walk wore me out. At least I’ve written another short… well, short piece of writing here. I’ll try and be a stricter director tomorrow.