A Small Problem: Obsession

Pwca · Aug 21, 2008

Here is my personal bogie:

Obsession with a character. My personal block is that I have a wonderfully developed character in my novel, and though this character has become my main character and deserves to be described in loving detail, I feel that I am short-changing other leading characters at the same time. I just cannot get this character to stop demanding so much attention of me. When I sit down to write, more about him comes out and I desperately need to move on and into other characters, now. I am sure that I am not the only one out there with this particular issue. Care to commiserate?

Shar-Jan · Aug 21, 2008

Vomit as much about this character you can, get all of the ideas out you can, flush your entire brain clear of them and get it all on the page.

Then in revisions prune whatever is not important.

Judg · Aug 21, 2008

If the character is interesting enough, it might not be a problem. But yes, Shar-Jan has a good idea.

Mad Queen · Aug 21, 2008

Have this character interact with the other ones. Have him observe them. You'll get the best of both worlds.

NVS · Aug 21, 2008

You're not Angelina Jolie: no one expects, or even hopes, you will "love all your children equally." Think of Candace Bushnell - her books seem to never be written in the first person, yet there's always a main character we are led to identify with because of the detail CB lavishes on, say, Carrie.

Wait...ARE you Angelina Jolie?

MelancholyMan · Aug 21, 2008

If you had any clue where you were going this would not happen. Decide where you are going and your characters can't lead you around by the nose. They only do that when you have no idea where you are headed.

-MM

Tachyon · Aug 21, 2008

Pwca said:
Obsession with a character. My personal block is that I have a wonderfully developed character in my novel, and though this character has become my main character and deserves to be described in loving detail, I feel that I am short-changing other leading characters at the same time. I just cannot get this character to stop demanding so much attention of me. When I sit down to write, more about him comes out and I desperately need to move on and into other characters, now. I am sure that I am not the only one out there with this particular issue. Care to commiserate?

I've accidentally turned other characters into the main character because of this. In my first novel, I grew to like one of the other leading characters more than the main character and slowly shifted my third person perspective closer to her. It didn't become obvious until I started working on the sequel (in which she actually is the main character).

Whether or not you're "short-changing" other characters depends on your story. In some cases, your main character really is important, and your focus on him or her is deserved. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean you always have to write scenes with him or her. You could have the other characters talking about or acting with or against the main character. In the story I'm working on right now, the main character is the focus of everyone's attention. Even when she doesn't appear in a scene, her name probably comes up. This allows me to explore her through my other characters.

cara k · Aug 21, 2008

IMO, once the characters are truly developed, the writer is no longer in charge. When my characters take over, I give the lead to them. And I do it gladly, because I know that they have come into their own. If your character is so strong that she can take over, I think she's earned the right to do so. So let her go for it; she might surprise you and take your novel in a new direction. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

C.bronco · Aug 21, 2008

Just write. If the character takes over, you can fix it in rewrite. Get it on paper and go from there. In the meantime, some of your other characters might come to life to your surprise and delight.

Liosse de Velishaf · Aug 22, 2008

Murder him horribly. It'll be fun... for you.

Ashleigh-Bridie · Aug 22, 2008

If it is well written it may be the right thing.
Grab another piece of paper and develop the other characters. Knowing them a bit better might help the obsession with the MC

RJK · Aug 22, 2008

Liosse may have gone too far, I was going to suggest you put him in a coma for a few chapters. Or, send him on a trip where he'll be gone for long enough for you to get your other work done. You can revise later.

DeleyanLee · Aug 22, 2008

I don't believe in the characters "demanding" anything, honestly. They're figments of my imagination and totally under my control. My experience is that there's a couple possible causes for this kind of obession. Depending on what the root is, what I will do about it.

If I'm focusing on this character because he's "easy and fun" to write and words "just flow", for me that usually means that he's a non-confrontational character and I'm avoiding writing all the hard stuff in the novel through my focus on him. The only thing for me to do in that case is to stop writing, go back and delete that character from the story totally and knuckle down to do the hard work of writing--unless I choose to be totally self-indulgent and not care if what goes on the page is only interesting to myself. This is generally (like 95% of the time) the reason behind those kinds of obsessions for me.

If I'd constructed the story around the wrong character and this one I'm presently obsessing about is actually the correct hero/MC, then I've got to go back and rewrite the story to accommodate the change. When I do this, things go back to an more even keel.

Usually some honest assessment leads me to the cause and answer--then it's just depending on my purpose in the piece what I do about it.

Phaeal · Aug 22, 2008

What's the point of view in this work? First person, the obsessive character? Third person limited, the obsessive character? Third person limited, the obsessive character plus others? Third person omniscient, in which case the POV is the obsessed narrator/author?

All of these can work. It entirely depends on the story you're trying to tell. You only have a problem if the "narcissist" is hampering the overall development of the piece.

tehuti88 · Aug 22, 2008

There are plenty of really good ideas above (though I don't agree with just killing the character off, and I do believe that a character, even if just a figment of one's imagination, can take over beyond a writer's control--it's different for everyone).

You can also try just sitting down and talking to the character, mentally or on paper/computer. Like he's really there. Ask him why he's demanding so much of your time, and if there's any way he's willing to compromise and share time with the other characters. Then try convincing the other characters to step forward and speak their piece. Ask why they're being so quiet and why they're letting the main character step all over them. Get them to air out their feelings. Hold a conversation with them. It sounds insane, yes, but it does work for some writers. You're merely talking to yourself, but you've already experienced how a character can take over seemingly of its own volition...so why not treat it as such? Give the obsession a voice, and maybe it won't feel the need to bother you so much anymore.

Just a suggestion.

nessam · Aug 22, 2008

Liosse de Velishaf said:
Murder him horribly. It'll be fun... for you.

I am going to do this with a pushy character in a moment. It is fun.

Pwca · Aug 22, 2008

Hey, thanks everyone for your feedback... and sorry in advance for my long reply!

Well, I'm afraid there will be no murdering, at least not at this point in the story, since he is my main character. I highly doubt it would be "fun" for me, either, in fact I'm pretty sure that the opposite is true. Besides, his ghost would then haunt me, I'm sure!

I am feeling pretty confident that I am doing the right thing- I just need to exorcise some demons (get the writing on the page) and then I will be able to move on. Re-reading and re-evaluating my work has shown me that all of these characters have the potential to be fleshed out more, and that they are coming along (a little revision later will help), and, like Mad Queen said, they are developing through interaction with the MC, too.

I think that the real hurdle is getting through certain scenes with this character so I can move on to the next scene with the other characters (I haven't written about a few in a while). To address you question, Phael, my WIP switches focus chapter by chapter and features different POVs, as well. Sometimes it will be First person (the obsessive character) Third person limited (the obsessive character). Third person limited with the obsessive character, plus others. Some chapters, of course do not include him at all, and some of those are also told from a first person perspective. I don't know if I'm saying to much, but, in my WIP, these characters' lives are supposed to coalesce, and I am trying to develop them all more fully to aid this end.

I'll just keep on plugging away at the word-vomit that Shar-Jan and C. bronco mentions. Thanks for the advice and sharing your own tribulations. I realized by reading your posts that we all have very different ways of writing, and writing is many things to different people. Some people outline everything, and may know almost everything about the fictional worlds they are creating. Others, like me, have a rough idea about what's supposed to happen, but prefer to fly by the seat of their pants and let the story develop almost spontaneously, enjoying the ride as they go. At any rate, I think I'm on the right track. Thanks for the support and good luck to all of you in your own work. I'll keep checking this thread for more perspectives on the situation, but I'm feeling a lot happier, now. Cheers.

ccarver30 · Aug 23, 2008

cara k said:
IMO, once the characters are truly developed, the writer is no longer in charge. When my characters take over, I give the lead to them. And I do it gladly, because I know that they have come into their own. If your character is so strong that she can take over, I think she's earned the right to do so. So let her go for it; she might surprise you and take your novel in a new direction. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

I agree. It seems like all of this info NEEDS to come out for this character. Sooner or later you will get all the information and you'll have no choice but to move on.

A Small Problem: Obsession

Pwca

Shar-Jan

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

Mad Queen

California Mountain Snake

NVS

MelancholyMan

Wear Thick Armor

Tachyon

cara k

C.bronco

I have plans...

Liosse de Velishaf

Ashleigh-Bridie

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

tehuti88

Mackinac Island Fanatic

nessam

practical experience, FTW

Pwca

ccarver30

Nicole Castro