Wet Noodle Posse

Friday, March 03, 2006

Pesky Characters by Janice Lynn

So, I wrote a new story earlier this year. It's one I absolutely love and have really BIG hopes for. I've finished it and my agent has sent it out. Yea! Okay, so what's the problem? The characters are still SOOOOOO in my head. The story is strong as is, doesn't need another chapter or epilogue, so now what? Do I just tell them to buzz off and let two new characters into my head or what? I have another book I want to write and love the premise, but Avery & Jude (my heroine & hero from the previous story) just won't leave me alone long enough for me to really get caught up in the new one. I'm thinking I just need to go ahead and write a sequel so I can visit Avery & Jude some more, but logically I know I need to move on to a fresh idea just in case Avery & Jude's story doesn't sell.

Have you ever written or read characters who just grab hold of you and won't let go? & if so, what do you do when they won't let go?

4 Comments:

At 8:30 AM, Diane Gaston said...: Janice, I've sorta solved that problem by writing sequels. Not that my original characters reappear in every one, but some do and they are in the same universe.

But what is so hard for me is to skip from one story to another midstream. When I'm working on a Warner book and have to stop to do revisions of a Mills & Boon book, it just drives me crazy! and vice versa.

But these are the problems I wanted to have....
Diane
At 10:15 AM, Karen said...: Janice, I can sympathize!

I started my first romance manuscript in 1996 and those characters are with me still. It was probably the worst book ever written, but in terms of the story and the relationship between the hero and heroine, I think it's my best.

Someday I'll rewrite "Rocky Road" and give Kate and Will their time in the sun. They deserve it for being so patient with me!
At 4:23 PM, Trish Milburn said...: I don't know if I've quite experienced the characters not letting me go, but I do have certain characters I remember more than others. And others I want to go back and revisit because I've learned so much more about writing since I wrote those books.
At 8:27 PM, bridget said...: Janice, I like this game! I'll play!

Three books really had characters that lived on for me afterwards: "Lord of Scoundrels", by Loretta Chase, "Simple Jess", by Pamela Morsi, and--wait for it--"A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

As far as "A Little Princess" goes, I used to stare at my mother when she reprimanded me, thinking of her as Miss Minchin and myself as Sara Crewe. It was the quintessential "wipe that look off your face, Little Missy" moment.