IWSG Day: Rebellious Character Surprises!

Insecure Writers Support Group Badge


August’s Question is:


For me, writing is full of surprises, mostly because my characters tend to take on a life of their own.

For example, with my current WIP, I told myself the mc was a girl because that story would be easier to sell than one with a non-binary main character. However, before I realized what I was doing, the character was telling someone that they use “they/them/their” as pronouns and thinking about being neither boy nor girl.

I thought I could control the gender of my main character, but that character decided they were non-binary (like me) whether I liked it or not.

The idea of characters I’m creating doing unexpected things always seems odd to me, even though it is something many writers have experienced. 

I often find myself wondering why things like this happen. Why do my creations surprise me? Am I really surprising myself? How come I feel like I am not in control of these characters as I create them and make them do things? Shouldn’t I be more deliberate? What is the point of craft advice if my characters are just running around doing their own things with me putting zero thought into how that affects the story on some technical level?

I can maybe  answer one of those questions.

Craft advice is for revision, not first drafts. At least, that is how it is for me. Other writers might be able to think about plot and scene and characterization while they draft. I can’t. I can only think of the characters as living entities and the story as something unfolding as it happens. If I outline, it’s because the story is unfolding in my head much faster than I can really write, and even then, when I start writing, I don’t usually stick to exactly what I outlined.

I think I get surprised because a lot of what I’m doing is not happening on a conscious level. It’s like dreaming. When I draft, my subconscious does the heavy lifting, so it feels like my creations have more agency in the creation of the story than I do.

When I was younger, part of me wanted to believe there was something supernatural about writing. I don’t think that now, but I do love writing about supernatural things.

I always surprise my self when I’m drafting.

My revisions, on the other hand, are far more deliberate and conscious. The biggest surprises there are how patient I am. In real life, I’m not known for my patience.

What kind of surprises do you find when writing?


Photo Credit: The back ground photo on the header was taken from Simone Scarano on Unsplash. 


3 thoughts on “IWSG Day: Rebellious Character Surprises!

  1. I go into all my stories expecting the unexpected. Having a basic plot idea is all I have and build from there. So far I haven’t had a character balk at their gender identity, but never say never.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I love the surprises that pop up in the first drafts! Because I write a lot of romance, the HEA is my aim, but the path to get there takes lots of fun twists and turns.
    Love that your character decided on gender without your input! Must be a strong character!


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