So all October long, I was plotting my novel in my head, It was supposed to be about a girl (Chevelle) who grew up in a bad neighbourhood and turned her life around, becoming a famous author and coming back to her district to give a lecture at a school. I decided for fun to start off the novel showing an example of the students at the school and the bad things they get into. So I started out with two secondary characters (Tameka and Andre) getting all steamy on the roof. And wouldn't you know Tameka has run off with my story. I am seven chapters and 19,900 words in and all Chevelle has managed to do is introduce herself, while Tameka follows me around, talks to me and writes poetry in my head.
AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH, It's Noah Wylie and ER all over again!
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Nano 08: Urban Legends:
It's not hard to walk the right path. Just turn around.
50,384 / 50,000
Nov 17, 2008 - 01 17
The same thing happened to me! I had my story all mapped out in October, broken down into chapters and an outline for what would happen in each chapter.
Then I sat down to write it and a character who was only supposed to appear in the background elbowed her way forward and is now the main character. The original main character has been pushed to the back, only to actually appear in a few scenes.
Luckily, the taking over happened in the first few days, so it's going quite well now, although all of my planning has been wasted.
I just went with it, and I actually think its going better than it would have been.
Hope you can sort your naughty characters out!
50,070 / 50,000
Nov 18, 2008 - 06 47
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! god bless Dr. Carter!
i'm having a less intense version of that problem. my woman was supposed to be crazy, and the guy was going to help ground her. and now, she's completely grounded and he's gone bananas. when i try to write her being unstable, it doesn't work.
*shrug*
not much i can do about it now.
----------Melissa
-----(the poet who would try to write a novel...again)
2007: The Malachite Necklace (51,020 words)
2008: Mariposa
50,010 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2008 - 07 08
One of my main character's friends tried to take over. For a couple of chapters I couldn't figure out how to push him back. So the next chapter I sent him to work while my main character stayed at his house and did stuff. Ha, Ha! Take tha!
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"six hours later I still hadn't written a thing, but I did win 7 out of 245 games of Solitaire"
52,304 / 50,000
Nov 20, 2008 - 00 08
I did a bit of a variation on this: my main character is a bit-character from my first Nano in '04 that was added purely for words, and is now fully fleshed out with a backstory and personality.
----------50,221 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2008 - 02 20
Well' Ive solved my original problem. The man character has now taken back over the story. Even though the story follows the sec. character for so long I've decided to let the MC use first person and write the SC in 3rd. Since my MC is an author, i will get past the logistic issues with this by having the SC ask the MC to write her stry at the end. lol. We'll see how it goes.
----------Nano 08: Urban Legends:
It's not hard to walk the right path. Just turn around.
158,173 / 50,000
Nov 22, 2008 - 08 45
I had the same problem with my novel. I'd plotted out my story in the week leading up to NaNo and had my main character (Kristi, essentially a modern day reincarnation of Helen of Troy) all set in place and everything. And then I get into writing it and about four or five chapters in another character (Pandora) basically took over the entire novel.
The sad part was, I really liked Pandora more as my main character. So Kristi moved to the back as a supporting character and now Pandora is my main character. It's weird, but interestingly enough, the story became much more enjoyable and the plot worked so much better with the change, so I've run with it.
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NaNo 2005 Novel: The Mists of Centarium
NaNo 2006 Winning Novel: Dancing Into The Night
NaNo 2007 Winning Novel: PARALLAX
NaNo 2008 Winning Novel: Keys in the Lock
55,628 / 50,000
Nov 25, 2008 - 09 43
I guess that kind of thing is just natural, because that happened to me too. While most of the novel is still written from Katie's viewpoint (she's the original main character), she's become very static and Marten is the one who has become dynamic.
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Some people follow their dreams. Others hunt them down and beat them into submission.