How to Trust Where a Character Leads You

Let's begin by uncovering the hidden premise of the title, which is that characters lead the author. But do they? I think we are faced with a paradox here. That's not necessarily bad or surprising, since some of life's most challenging questions imply paradoxical answers. Those with a black and white cognitive mindset may be disappointed at this suggestion, but I believe it's true.

In writing fiction, there can be no doubt that the words, sentences, paragraphs, and so forth, emanate from the author. Similarly, the author is responsible for the plot and characters of his or her novel, as well as the extent to which it generates tension and conflict. If the book is not well received, the author certainly can't claim, "It's the characters' fault."

Many fiction writers report that they always know where their short stories and novels are going and how they're going to end. I have no doubt that for those authors their assertion is true and if it works for them, that's fine. Agents and publishers aside, ultimately it is the outcome of the work and the judgment of the reader that counts, as nice as it might feel to be self-satisfied about one's own work.

At the extreme other end of the spectrum there are writers who say they start by putting the first word on the paper and take it from there, having no idea where "there" is going to end up being. When I wrote non-fiction I always had a clear and definite idea of what I wanted to say, where I was going, and how my books would end. I knew what each chapter would be about from the outset. Yet, I'd have to say that in writing my first and only novel to date, "Silent Battlefields," I fall somewhere toward the center of the spectrum, but leaning toward this end of the continuum of events and character development suggested by what I call the "uncertainty factor." This brings to mind a private session I had with a well-known author who was spending a week of residency for the M.A. creative writing program I was enrolled in. We were discussing my novel, then a work in progress, and not too far along. He asked, "Do you know how your story is going to end?" I was sure he was going to berate me when I answered, "No." His response was as laconic as mine - "Good," he replied. I was pleased to hear him say that, but regret that I never asked him to explain his position.

Before starting the novel, "Silent Battlefields," I identified the key characters and sketched an outline of their backgrounds, so that I would know something about them before embarking on my adventure into the unknown. I also had a definite conceptualization of the foundation of my narrative and thesis. Prior to writing, that's as far as I had gone in my preparations before commencing. I must have made a decision on some level to give wings to my imagination, while remaining open to where that would take me. It took me all the way to the end of the book and I have the characters to thank for that. As a result of that experience, I have come to see writing fiction as a collaborative act between author and characters. I never relinquished my veto rights, but I was willing to hand over autonomy to the characters as long as I liked what they said and did. Also, in the back of my mind, I always remembered that this was only a first draft and that it would be followed by multiple revisions. I suppose one could say that this is analogous to the director of a film who lets each actor play out his or her role with little intervention until such time as it seems called for.

As I engaged in the process of writing, ideas for subplots, and twists and turns, emerged spontaneously; ideas I would never have anticipated in advance because one would sprout from what preceded. As for the dialogue of my characters, one word came to me after another with no forethought to exactly what they were going to say. It was very much like an open-ended dialogue or conversation. In approaching the last chapter, I had no idea how it would end even at that point. Yet my characters seemed to take over almost as though their words were being channeled through me and I was a mere conduit of them. Many of the minor characters seemed to just pop up at the appropriate time to play their role without my having anticipated their existence in advance.

So why did I trust them? The perspective I am adopting is that I wrote the first draft predominately by relying on my right brain. The drafts that followed in revising what I had written brought to bear the full force of my left brain. During revisions I asked myself such questions as, " Does this character fit organically into the narrative as a whole?" and "Does the character advance or deepen the plot? If so, he or she was allowed to stay, and if not, there was a ruthless, as well as often painful, termination of that character. I examined the dialogue between the characters. Did it seem natural? If not, then I would work to improve the flow and nature of their manner of speaking to one another until I had want I wanted. Had the character led me into a cul-de-sac, leaving me nowhere to go from there? If so, I had to rescind the autonomy I had extended her or him and redirect the character down another road.

Ultimately, I think that I trusted where the characters led me by trusting my own ability to straighten things out if they went askew. When writing a novel there is a new world in the making and the author is the creator no matter how much freewill is accorded the characters.