Guest Post by Samantha March: My Characters Did What?

I am in the process of writing book number two. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I didn’t give myself a lot of details before I started writing. I planned on the main character and a few of the supporting characters, I knew what I wanted to happen with my plot and some key scenes I felt needed to be included, but otherwise, I was just gone with the wind. Seeing where my writing takes me. And oh boy, has it taken me places.

Now, I’m about to where I think the halfway point should be, and my characters are getting themselves into some rather large messes that I didn’t see coming. How is this possible? I wondered the same thing when I was just starting out, and authors would tell me that they could type without even thinking. That the story was coming from somewhere inside of them. Crazy? I thought so. Now? Not even close. I’m starting to slowly plan for my third book, and just last week as I was leaving my job, a scene came at me with full force, uncurling slowly in my mind. I saw the characters, I saw the opening scene, and I saw a new character that I hadn’t yet thought of enter the picture. I ran the rest of the way to my car so I could dig out a napkin and write everything down.

Then just yesterday, I was typing Chapter 11 for book number two. I had a set scene that I wanted to get written. Planned it in my head, knew how to approach it. All of sudden, something had taken over my fingers and what was being typed was not what I had envisioned. A whole new scene popped out of nowhere and found its way into my story. After I finished the scene and was rereading the chapter, I found I was in love with this version of Chapter 11, which was completely not what I had expected when I started my writing.

When I first realized that I could type scene after scene without really thinking, that I was just letting that inner voice do all the work, was a thrilling moment. Do I have to go back and heavily edit and make some revisions? Of course. Do I cut some of the scenes that came so naturally to me? Yep. But that’s all part of the writing process and one that I have come to accept. Now, I don’t feel so confused when someone talks about the voices in their head or says one of their characters is giving them a hard time. I’m right there with them––and I wouldn’t want it any other way!