I’ve been feeling like I should look like this lately….
I’m working on my third book right now, and it’s getting a little scary up in here. No, it’s not a horror novel. Like my other Romances that Rock ™ it has the hot couple and the happily ever after. But it’s going to be a wee bit different, and this is coming as a huge surprise to me.
I’ve been working on the book a while now (it was supposed to be the second book, but it got totally derailed by a couple of characters who asked – nay, demanded! – to have their book written first) so it’s been sitting in its file, patiently waiting for me to get back to it. I don’t know what this book has been up to while it waited, but I think it might have hacked into my Netflix app and started watching Heathers or something.
I always knew there was going to be a murder in the book. It’s one of the first things I thought of when I started writing the book in my head (which is my way of plotting and outlining since I cannot do that kind of stuff on paper. At all.) Imagine my surprise when I was just sitting there, writing along, and boom! someone else bites the dust, too. I mean, I’ve heard of killing your darlings, but really? I don’t kill my characters, and now they’re dying like flies. (Well, only two flies, but I’ve never really heard a number assigned to that particular phrase, have you?)
What’s worrying is that I found it rather cathartic. Well, killing off one of them was, anyway. This character is a real douchenozzle and it was with a sense of glee that I offed him. (He’s the one I planned on dying anyway.) But the second one was hard to write. I liked this character, and his death came as a complete surprise to me. It really added to the story, though, so I bid him a teary adieu and went on with it.
I tried to explain to someone today how my characters do what they want to do, not necessarily what I want. He just didn’t get it, and kept insisting that since I wrote the book then I was one who “made” the characters behave the way they did. As he spoke, I heard gazillions of authors around the world laughing like hyenas. Like we can actually make our characters behave (or speak or feel) the way we want them to! Because if I could direct them around like a Master of Puppets, my likeable character wouldn’t get snuffed in this current book.
I don’t control my characters at all, and this bunch I’m dealing with right now have taken full advantage of this to turn dastardly. It’s going to be a wild ride, and I can’t wait to see what else they’ve got up their collective sleeve!
Oh, and I wanted to give you an update on the interview I recorded over the weekend. It’s going to be on Books with Benefits on April 3! (Don’t worry – I’ll remind you again. You’ll probably get really tired of my reminding you, but I’m excited about it and I don’t want you to forget! 🙂 )
