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Q: SD, I recently
read your response about secondary characters taking over a story. I disagree.
Don’t
you think it is better to go back and get your story back on track? You can
always use the additional material as a spin off and then bring both characters
together in a third book.
A: This is where we will agree to disagree. What you said
is true. However, ideas are like snowflakes and there are no two that are
alike. This is true with how everyone will look at a particular topic or
question. In other words; there is no correct or singular answer to the
original question. My main focus (which
is my thoughts alone) is to inform the person who had asked the question
that there is no failure in placing the world your mind construct for others to
read, but to look at what some would say is a mistake as a happy accident. Ask
yourself this one question. Have I ever written something from beginning to end
perfectly? If you answer yes, then I congratulate you. If not, then you are
like the rest of us, authors.
To answer your question about breaking off a fork in the
road, turning it into a spinoff, and then bringing it back together with the
original intendant road, is possible. However, time doesn’t stand still and the
experiences of each character will change them in such a way that when they (in book 3) come together, they will not
be the same characters they once were when they separated. Growth of each
character is essential to story movement. Stagnation of growth is the same as
wasting a readers’ time. Besides, once you bring these two characters back
together, it will place you back at the fork in the road that caused the
problem in the first place. Who is the lead character and which story is book
three based on? Thank you for your insight, it helped not only me, but all who
stop by for a visit. SD
Q: SD, I started
writing a light and fun story, but somehow it had turned dark. Do you have any
thoughts on how I can change it back to what it’s supposed to be?
A: My first knee jerk reaction is to tell you not to take
it so serious. My actual thoughts are to tell you not to take it so serious. As
you can tell, my advice is for you not to take it so serious. So what if it had
turned dark. All you have to do is turn on the light. There is no story that is
in a straight line. There are peaks and valleys, happy and sad, sugar and salt,
and burps and farts. Think of it this way.
It was a sunny
and warm day. A princess had decided to go for a ride to recharge her spirits.
She had just started on her ride when the clouds darken, thunder roared, and a
downpour of rain that covered the land was so thick that she couldn’t see but
for a few paces before her. Oh, how frighten the princess was and more so when
a bone jarring cold swept across her. Just as she felt her very soul began to
succumb to melancholy, it had all stopped. The sky opened up. The sun had
reappeared. And most of all, a rainbow graced the sky before her eyes. Her
mother’s words came to mine and she could do nothing but smile. Not all events
are what they seem. It is up to you to determine if they are good or bad. As
she looked out across the land, she remembered they had very little water for
crops. As she looked across the land, the sweltering heat was what had caused
her to wish to be out of doors. And, her spirits were low from looking at gray
stone walls. The rain had refreshed her and the land. The cold had given all a
reprieved. And, the rainbow gave her eyes a feast to behold like no other. Just
turn on the light. SD
Q: SD, How much is
too much information about a character?
A: I wouldn’t know where to start on that one. What I can
say is that depending on what part your character plays in your overall work
should dictate the amount of detail your character should need. For instance;
If you have a character that only appears in a few places and is less than a
supporting character, why spend the effort. However, if your character is a
supporting character and moves the story along, you might want to give them
some history. As for the main character, your story is built around them and
they are the foundation that holds everything up. I think knowing about them (as much as you think) is vital! I’m not
only talking about their physical attributes, but what had caused them to be
the character they had become and why it is important to get to know and
understand them. I hope this helps. SD
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