Who's In Charge Here?!

You know you're in trouble when you're in the middle of writing a... well, an intense... scene and the characters suddenly look at each other and say, "Er... now what?"

True story.

It took me a little time to decode the message, but after three or four scenes spiraling down to the characters asking, "what next?" I discovered this was a control issue, and not the kind I am used to dealing with. (har har...)

Think of those nifty SIM games. You've got a certain amount of control over the characters-- what they look like, some of their other traits or likes and dislikes. There is a certain amount that you do not control-- the days advance and a series of obstacles present themselves. You have to make some decisions about how to navigate those obstacles.

This is a little bit like writing a novel. You have a cast of characters: hero and/or heroine, supporting players, villain, etc. You customize them based on the needs of the story. Then those characters get thrown into world and begin to move through it, encountering obstacles along the way-- the plot you've developed. It's up to you to navigate them through it, scene by scene.

You, the master artist, are in control.

I found that what broke the vicious cycle for me was to have a specific plot target for each scene or chapter. Now, as I begin each chapter, I stop and ask myself: What's point B? What are the broad strokes that get me there? Once I've got that down, I set the scene and turn the characters loose. So far, this has been a much more effective strategy. A friend and freelance editor looked at work I'd done before and after my great apostrophe (when lightning struck my brain). She said my earlier work didn't seem to have a direction. But the newer stuff, she found to have a much clearer storyline. That, my friends, is a measure of victory!

So there you have it. And now I have an overwhelming urge to play lemmings or SIMs or something.