NaNoWriMo-Day 26
Total WCG: 30,000 words
Today's WCG: 26,000 words
My WC: 29,021 words
Hello Fellow Writers,
Today I'm talking about something VERY important to your book. Your characters. Specifically something my characters have been doing lately.
Pre-NaNoWriMo, I spent a lot of time thinking about my characters, their motives, and their personalities. The goal here is to make them come to life, right? Unfortunately, my characters have been doing just that.
I'll be totally stumped, trying to think of SOMETHING to write, when suddenly one of my characters pops out of my imagination to give me a pep talk. Here's how our conversation goes:
Character: You look so pathetic right now, I'd just leave you alone, but you're making me sick.
Me: Excuse me? You don't try to sass me, I made you and I can crumple you up and throw you in the trash can too.
(Character quivers a little and loses defiant glare)
Me: Yeah, that's right. Now can we have a civil conversation? Hi, I'm me, and I made you. Nice to meet you.
Character: Oookay...so I am here on the behalf of everyone in your novel, and we just want you to know that we wanna be written! Please.
Me: Huh?
Character: You've been sitting here now writing for like half an hour Googling random things! Please...stop staring at Ross Lynch's face, I beg you. Listen up, sister, it is NaNoWriMo and this novel's gotta get written!
Me: Am I hallucinating? I doubt you're even real. Besides, I have absolutely no inspiration right now!
Character: No, you're not hallucinating. Plus, isn't a writer supposed to believe in her characters? I'm crushed that you thought I was a hallucination. Anyway, we're tired of sitting around. I am here to actually show you what is going on inside your novel, then all you have to do is write what happens next. I'll just let you follow me around for a bit. Then you're on your own. Got it?
Me: I think I really am going crazy- but this is all I've got. I guess a little time in my novel wouldn't hurt...
Character: Yes! You're coming with me, girl!
Character then grabs my hand and yanks me into the swirling vortex of my book...
For the next chapter(about 2,000 words), I'm magically inspired and writing at the speed of sound and all these exciting things that I didn't plan on happening happen and speed along my plot and I'm so happy and then-
Character's voice from afar: You're on your own now...Good luck to you...I know you can do it!
Then I am totally stranded and have no clue what to write next.
Please, please comment if you have the same issue with your characters! My sister has this problem too. Apparently, about half the writing population's character's do that to them. Interesting.
If this does happen to you: Look on the bright side! You are having personal chats and assistance from your characters- I mean, how cool is that? Even if they do leave you alone by the end of your brief spaz, and even if it is kinda weird 'cuz the whole thing is in your imagination...hey, you're better off than you were before!
For those of you who are now who are looking at me like I'm crazy and are now about to close out this tab- I seriously do recommend chatting with your characters often. You may feel like a little kid with an imaginary friend at first, but it really does help. I 'talk' to my characters about plot, their feelings about certain events that have happened in the story, and their motives for certain things. It's helpful, really.
And no, I am not a crazy person. Please try it before you trash it.
Anyway...
Good luck on your novels! I will write again soon!
~PumpkinIce