I'm plotting. This is kind of a constant for me, and also a great answer when someone asks me what I'm doing, because most people don't expect that response.
Plotting character interactions is, for me, one of the more difficult parts of creating a story. Characters grow and change over the course of plotting, and even more so during the actual writing, so no matter what I start off thinking they're going to do, there's always the chance that they'll do something else. This usually happens right in the middle of a sentence that I swore I knew how it ended when I started writing it.
Ever stared at the page and asked someone "Why are you running toward the dragon, you're supposed to be running away?" Yeah, it's like that.
This gets worse when I think two characters will end up getting together over the course of the story. I think we've all read or watched a romance that only happens because the writer said so, where everything seems awkward and forced and it's hard to imagine these characters actually getting together, let alone staying together. This gets even worse when it's the last chapter/episode/five minutes, and whoever's in charge just wants to end the thing with a kiss and a happy couple.
Hands up if you can name at least one book, movie, TV show, or anything else where you've seen this happen. No, I can't see you, but I doubt I'm alone in this.
When I was putting together the ragtag crew of characters for this story, I thought two of them might end up romantically involved, because it fit their personalities, and it could be awesome. But it was also the first time I'd written these people, and they're not only from vastly different backgrounds, they're from entirely different worlds. They're not even the same species, though both are sentient humanoids (sort of, one's literally only half humanoid). So I had my doubts.
I don't think that every story needs romance. There's always room for it, but it's not essential. And the last thing I want to do is force two characters to get together.
One of the downsides to being a plotter is needing to know what's going to happen in order to write a story. I'm always open to change, but I have to know how things end. This includes character arcs. So, what could I do about this might-be romance?
It turned out to be easier than I thought. I wrote up as much as I could about these characters in my notes, and plotted their interactions with all that in mind. I let them bounce off of each other, considered how they'd react to all the things that get in their way over the course of the journey, and waited to see if the events and their conversations and all the little differences between the two of them would bring them closer together.
Will it? I'm not saying. I have to write the damn thing first, and I think I've made it clear already how much things could change before the story ends. But I know how I think it's going to go. And that's enough for me to get started.
Ahem:
ReplyDelete"Writing is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as the headlights, but you make the whole trip that way." - E.L Doctorow
I think I know what's going to happen... vaguely... and the damn characters go and change it up on me. I don't think you can force it. I think you can plan all you want, then open the gate and let 'em lose. Trust that they know what they're doing. It is, after all, their story.
I tried writing a book with that very quote in mind. What I got was fun as hell, but disjointed and kind of frantic, and when I tried to plot it for a rewrite, it all fell apart. >_< It did have a character who used magic via the Power of Rock, though, so that's something.
DeleteWhen I plot, I do leave myself plenty of room for surprises, as I'm used to them happening. But if I don't have some strong idea of where the story's going when I sit down to write, I don't write anything worth reading.
I am a terrible plotter. I really can't map out everything in advance of writing it. But sometimes you have to do it anyway -- like if an outline is required in an option book proposal. That's what I was working on last week. But then I checked my contract and realized I also have to provide sample chapters, so I started drafting with my outline incomplete.
ReplyDeleteAlready stuff has turned up that kind of weaves elements of the story together and fills in some voids. As usual, I have to write to figure out the story.
Yeah, there's always stuff I only figure out when I'm actually writing the story. A lot of the best parts are things that I couldn't have come up with until I was writing the actual scene, but I would never have had the scene in the first place if I hadn't plotted it in advance.
DeleteThat's just how I work,and if I've learned anything from seeing dozens of writers talk about their processes, it's that every single one of us is different. That's why I use so many "for me"-type qualifiers when I talk about writing, as I don't want to ever come across like I think my way is the only way.
Not every story needs a romance, but it can have a good friendship. That might fit the story better.
ReplyDeleteSometimes things just don't go according to plan...
I do hope to show this as a good friendship first, with these two slowly growing closer over the course of the book. Granted, I'll have to determine why this is all happening now and not earlier, since they've known each other for about a year, but I'm sure I can figure that out...
DeleteHand up, big time! I hate that. I feel like so many books and movies have romance side plots that do NOTHING to advance the story, and feel so forced. I'd rather just have my epic adventure/sci-fi/thriller/etc straight up, thanks ;)
ReplyDeleteExactly. If there's a romance, it has to mean something, it has to matter. And as important as character development is, the romance should matter to the over-reaching plot as well.
Delete...and now I have to make sure I have that happen when I plot a romance. Eh heh heh...
Goram Blogger ate my comment from wednesday (and I totally stayed up late to write it!). Suspect, that my thoughts boil down to: I hate when it's forced.
ReplyDeleteSecifically, JK rowling totally borked it up, and she admits as much. The problem is, even she doesn't know the right end game. Potter with Luna Lovegood--she made him laugh, it was his one ray of light! Ginny with Nevil--she loved that he was a good dancer, and he had other talents that she totally saw and appreciated. I'm not certain about Hermoine and Ron, but I'm totally willing to accept it.
I'm just glad I'm not the only one who saw that Harry and Luna actually had some chemistry. ^_^ But yeah, forcing it is the worst. With this current plot, I made myself not go into it intending that the two characters would get together, and that I'd just see how things developed. And odds are good it'll be different when/if I actually write it. But I'd rather say that than think they have to get together.
DeleteI did omit a line from this blog entry about Korra and Mako's relationship totally feeling forced in season 1, though, and replaced it with the generic "hands up" line. :P
Characters kind of do what they want anyway. I'm a plotter, but my original plot never matches the end story except perhaps the ending. Even the beginning changes hundreds of times. As for characters, they develop their own personality and whatever I thought they might do, changes. That's one of the fun things about writing, the worlds and characters develop themselves. Enjoy the ride!
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the beginning changing - I've rewritten first chapters after writing the rest of the book many times. And even when plotting, I definitely leave room for characters to act on their own and surprise me. Most of the time it doesn't completely disrupt my plans... but not always. O_o
DeleteI've struggled (and blogged) about this issue as well. I was going over the plot of one of my stories and then panicked when I realized the MC didn't have a love interest. I've since abandoned the story (for other reasons), but going forward, if I ever have an idea where there is no love interest, I'll just write the story the way it wants to be written and not worry about "conventions."
ReplyDelete...I remember that post. ^_^ But you're right - having romance in a story seems to be such a standard thing, and we need to recognize that it doesn't have to happen. It's extremely common, but not required.
DeleteHa! I don't plan much, but I do usually know the relationships before I head into it. Usually. In my current one, will the masked guy be a love interest to my main gal? Who knows?
ReplyDeleteI have sat down and said, "why is this guy not interested in this girl?" because I knew the girl ended up with a different guy. Throw in yet another guy and viola! It's because he isn't into girls! Ah well.
I know exactly what you mean, though from the other side. I once was thinking these two characters in a book would get together, a guy and a girl. I decided to show that gay people actually, y'know, exist in that world, so I wrote a bit part of another girl to hit on the main girl.
DeleteThe main girl's reaction stunned me, and I realized that she was gay but hadn't realized it herself yet. That bit part character wrote herself into the rest of the story and insisted upon becoming one of the leads.
Years later, I'm still working with those two characters. ^_^