Was it something I said?
Nov. 10th, 2006 11:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katiefooleryI seem to have a habit (rarely applied, thankfully) of developing characters who decide they want to die. It first happened in Black Fiddle when one of my characters eventually got sick of what was going on and stepped up one day to tap me politely on the shoulder.
For instance:
Character whose name I’ll withhold to avoid potential spoilers in the event that I actually ever finish Black Fiddle, submit it, get it published and... oh, let’s start again...
Nameless character: *taps politely on my shoulder*
Me: Er, yes?
Nameless character: Look, you do know I’m going to die, don't you?
Me: You are?
Nameless character: *weighty sigh*
Me: Hey, don’t sigh at me like that! And no - you can’t die; you just came into this story. You haven’t done your job yet.
Nameless character: Nevertheless, I fear I tire of living.
And that was it. She died on me. And on Jeannie too, I suppose. She definitely wasn’t happy about the whole situation.
It happened again yesterday while I was at work, although this one’s even stranger. For the last few months, I’ve had at least four characters rattling around in my head, telling me bits and pieces about themselves and forming an image of the country in which they live. Alas, they haven’t seen fit to give me an actual plot to go with them. They seem to think this is where I come in.
Instead, they just sit there and develop. One in particular started off as nothing. All I knew about him was that his name was Mack and he was assigned as some sort of guard by the fey to one of the human characters. He was the strong and silent type and it took a while to get to know him but once I did, he really opened up. In a sort of taciturn, silent way. I love him to little bits, much to his discomfort.
And yesterday, he showed me how he was going to die.
It was so unexpected. There I was, reading random fanfic while at work (my protest against the blocking of LJ...) when a line in one of the stories I was reading suddenly inspired an amazing image of light and energy and self-sacrifice. And there was Mack, pointing at this image and quietly telling me that this was how he was going to die.
It’s the first time I’ve ever had to creep out of the workroom and into the toilets so I could cry about the death of a character whose story I haven’t even written. I was amazed at myself, in fact, sitting there in the loo with tears running down my face. How could he do this to me?
I’d like to know I'm not alone, though. In fact, I need to know I’m not alone. Someone else tell me I’m not the only one whose characters decide to die on them without asking permission first. Please?
For instance:
Character whose name I’ll withhold to avoid potential spoilers in the event that I actually ever finish Black Fiddle, submit it, get it published and... oh, let’s start again...
Nameless character: *taps politely on my shoulder*
Me: Er, yes?
Nameless character: Look, you do know I’m going to die, don't you?
Me: You are?
Nameless character: *weighty sigh*
Me: Hey, don’t sigh at me like that! And no - you can’t die; you just came into this story. You haven’t done your job yet.
Nameless character: Nevertheless, I fear I tire of living.
And that was it. She died on me. And on Jeannie too, I suppose. She definitely wasn’t happy about the whole situation.
It happened again yesterday while I was at work, although this one’s even stranger. For the last few months, I’ve had at least four characters rattling around in my head, telling me bits and pieces about themselves and forming an image of the country in which they live. Alas, they haven’t seen fit to give me an actual plot to go with them. They seem to think this is where I come in.
Instead, they just sit there and develop. One in particular started off as nothing. All I knew about him was that his name was Mack and he was assigned as some sort of guard by the fey to one of the human characters. He was the strong and silent type and it took a while to get to know him but once I did, he really opened up. In a sort of taciturn, silent way. I love him to little bits, much to his discomfort.
And yesterday, he showed me how he was going to die.
It was so unexpected. There I was, reading random fanfic while at work (my protest against the blocking of LJ...) when a line in one of the stories I was reading suddenly inspired an amazing image of light and energy and self-sacrifice. And there was Mack, pointing at this image and quietly telling me that this was how he was going to die.
It’s the first time I’ve ever had to creep out of the workroom and into the toilets so I could cry about the death of a character whose story I haven’t even written. I was amazed at myself, in fact, sitting there in the loo with tears running down my face. How could he do this to me?
I’d like to know I'm not alone, though. In fact, I need to know I’m not alone. Someone else tell me I’m not the only one whose characters decide to die on them without asking permission first. Please?