One of those things

Yes, your characters really will wiggle around on you. Shocking when it happens.

I hate when I've got my character all figured out, then they do something that changes the way I view them.

Aureluis said:

I hate when I've got my character all figured out, then they do something that changes the way I view them.

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On the contrary, I embrace it. It keeps things fresh, keeps them interesting, and keeps them from becoming too predictable.

I love it when my characters do something unexpected, that's why I like to write with a very loose outline. They usually come up with something better than I do!

Its scary sometimes. Once you've made up a realistic character, the responsibility for their words and actions lies squarely upon your shoulders.

JayMan said:

On the contrary, I embrace it. It keeps things fresh, keeps them interesting, and keeps them from becoming too predictable.

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Yea, that's one of the coolest things about writing. You gotta keep writing to find out what happens. Sometimes you think you know what's gonna happen, only to find out that whoa, major twist just messed things up for you! Cool, ain't it?

And it helps keep your stories from becoming too predictable, which doesn't hurt.

I love it when they do that.

I think it usually prevents plotholes, in a way. In the original previous example, a character was able to talk her way out of something. That meant that the possibility was always there for her to talk her way out of it, and that might have led to a plot hole somewhere along the line.

My characters usually do things horribly unpredictable, but when writing, it's the most logical course of action. I start building bricks for the scene, but then the bricks lead off to the wrong direction, and then an MC goes and joins the enemy-- completely destroying the ending.

Ah, but that, I think, is what I enjoy most about the actual writing process. I love to see how my writing leads and develops my characters against my will.

That's my favorite part of writing! I love it when my characters do their own things and surprise me. Yay for you!

C.bronco said:

That's my favorite part of writing! I love it when my characters do their own things and surprise me. Yay for you!

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Wait till one of them cracks a joke in your head while you're at a funeral. Man, that was rough.

Allowing my characters to do whatever they want is how I write. I don't decide in advance what they should do. I just let them live their lives, and I follow behind, writing down whatever they do.

LStein said:

I've heard people talk about this but I don't think it had ever happened to me before today. One of my characters did something unexpected.

Crazy!

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Congrats! You've made a leap. You now have real characters instead of puppets.

I had a new character show up out of no where. I went, 'what the heck?" and he said "I have to be here." I said "Um, alrighty then."

He came with his own back story and everything. Almost like he handed me his resume or something.

Kind of freaks me out when that happens, but it's interesting.

I love it when it happens. I agree with Nick that it's a sign that you're truly into your characters and story, so that it's unfolding like reality for you, not as a static set of arranged story elements.

However, every silver lining has a cloud, and I sometimes feel like I'm caught in endless debate with my characters. They're like prima dona actors always with the "What's my motivation in this scene?" and "I don't think my character would do something like that." I do sometimes feel the desire to shout at them, "Just stand on your damned spot and say the damned line!"

readlorey said:

I had a new character show up out of no where. I went, 'what the heck?" and he said "I have to be here." I said "Um, alrighty then."

He came with his own back story and everything. Almost like he handed me his resume or something.

Kind of freaks me out when that happens, but it's interesting.

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I've had that happen too. This whole issue is what's unfolded what was once a short story into a series of books. Crazy, as far as character development went. But as Maestro said, you've got real characters now, and as such, they act like it. Go with it and your story becomes far better than before.

You know what really ticks me off when this happens? The book turns out better for it. I mean, what do I know? I'm only the author!