My Road To Publication Part 4

As promised, I’m going to reveal the biggest secret I’ve ever uncovered…

Pssst lean in a little closer. Authors don’t write fiction—their characters do. If you’re not an author, I’m sure this sounds a little nuts. If you are an author, you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying UH… DUH.

Before I started writing, I had seen hints of this being true. I had heard of the writers muse and of the characters coming to life. I assumed that either this particular author was crazy or she just meant that she was such an awesome writer that her characters seemed like real people. I was WRONG.

Sitting down to write Angelina’s Secret, I had an idea of where I wanted the story to go. I didn’t however have a clear picture of how to get it there. The more I worked on it, the easier it became. Not because I was such an awesome writer, but because my characters had come to life and they told me where to take the story next. All I had to do was type. There were days I had all of them crowded around my computer telling me what to write. Sometimes I would literally call out, “Slow down. I can’t type that fast.” (It’s a good thing I usually write when I’m at home alone.)

As cool as this is, it also has its downfalls. This was after all, my story and I had a few ideas of my own, but sometimes they didn’t match the ideas of one or more of my characters. If I chose to do it my way, they quit talking and my writing came to an abrupt stop.

The first bazillion times this happened, (I guess I’m a slow learner) I would sit and stare at my computer willing the next scene to unfold. It refused. The cursor on my screen blinked, taunting me. Knowing my characters had a stronger will than I did, I’d finally give in and do it their way and the story would progress.

As much as I’d come to love my characters, I got tired of their temperamental ways. When I learned a publisher was strongly considering my first book for publication I decided to shelve Angelina’s Secret and refocus my attention on my first book. The one that I, not my characters had written.

Come back on Friday to see how this turned out for me.