Those who say absolute power corrupts absolutely must know a writer or two.
I think I always intended to become a goddess. No one could do a better running the world. I remember looking at the other kids in school and trying to explain that if they just listened to me and follow me their lives would become perfect. (Not that mine was perfect, but I kept busy trying to fix everyone else.)
In the midst of my megalomania - remind me someday to tell you about my adventures with head-shrinkers - I began arranging worlds of amazing complexity inside my head. I decided being a writer would solve all my problems and give me complete control. I mean, if the outer world wouldn't conform to my instructions, surely an inner one that I filled with extraordinary, smart, beautiful and complex people armed with every technological advantage my brain could conjure up would, right?
Yeah, right!
Even my inner people won't hear and obey.
"You want me to do what?" is a common complaint from the characters inside my skull. Then they run off and do their own thing in spite of my best efforts to make them follow the path to a Happily Ever After. Try having the perfect plot and story and having your characters run off and do their own things no matter what. Just like Adam and Eve, they insist on creating havoc out of heaven.
What's a goddess to do?
I keep writing and hoping that someday a character will bow and say: Yes, Goddess, your wish is my command.
Maybe?
It's no coincidence my WIP, the sequel to PULL, is titled Being God
Now tell me about you and your plans for world domination. Say something, let this goddess know she isn't alone out there.
7 comments:
Barbara, You are not out there alone!
I sooo relate to the part where the world would be much better off if I was in control. But that has yet to happen and I don't think it will.
Sometimes it seems strange that everyone else (characters included) don't see the world the same as I do. Guess that's what makes a rich life full of diversity.
Barbara,
My characters are always tricking me! The one in particular that really caught me off guard, was the villain who ended up being the Hero!
I keep telling my husband if he would just listen to me everything would be so much better. lol I do have a bit of a tighter on my characters though. Snort!
I like the term 'Goddess' as opposed to 'Bossy Know-It-All.' lol
I share your frustration, Barbara!
Fjorgot to tell you I love the title for your sequel to Pull. :)
I love your book titles too! What a humorous post. And so true. Writers do like to be in control. I think of myself as sole commander of my empire, President of my company.
Because I like having control, I decided to go with a blog and convert it to a website so that I can do the updates and maintenance myself. The added advantage is that it is virtually free.
It's usually my secondary characters who put a kink in my world. They keep raising their hands and screaming "pick me, pick me!" at the top of their lungs.
Post a Comment