Do you have runaway characters?
I thought I had a plan for my novel, plotted out 15 story beats, whole 9 yards. Then I started writing it, and my characters started making their own choices as I helplessly watched, screaming "what are you doing?!?!"
Do I need a therapist? Or is this normal?
@DanIsWriting #Writing processes are highly variable. What you are experiencing is one kind of normal, though many writers will never experience it and don’t understand it. I prefer the term #DiscoveryWriter over #pantser to describe the experience: I plan enough of the story to get started, then discover whole new realms of coolness I could not have predicted until I was deep into the work. Here’s an article I always recommend about this stuff: https://locusmag.com/2013/01/cory-doctorow-where-characters-come-from/
@SarahAvery thanks, I'll have to check it out. I never liked pantser either. Its like "hey, I have a plan, my characters just aren't following the rules!" 😂