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I Still Can't Believe It's True...

...even after all the evidence to prove it. What am I talking about, you ask? I'm talking about the common phrase that I had heard many different authors proclaim before I had ever put fingers to computer keys to create a novel...

"The story and/or characters write themselves."

I had heard this statement many times. And when you hear it, it's like "Yeah, right. And I'm the queen of Sheba." But once I started writing, I found that it literally is true. Now of course there are times when nothing is coming to you, but you write anyway. Then suddenly, something magical happens and you start typing as if you're a puppet. Your fingers are flying across the keys of their own volition. As if the clouds parted, the heavens started singing "Aaaaaaaaaahhh" and rays of light shone down on you and your computer.

This phenomena surprises me every time it happens. I sit down in the morning, with my cup of coffee. I've got a pretty good idea of where I want the story/scene/dialogue to go. I start typing it out how I see it and the next thing I know my characters are like, "I don't think so, lady. You're not the boss of us. We've got this." And all of a sudden, I've written pages of story that I hadn't even planned.

Then I have to regroup and make sure it works with what I have planned for the rest of the book. But more often than not, it works better than what I was going to do in the first place. Huh, who'd a thunk?

Moral of the story: I need to stop sweating the small stuff. Whatever archangel that watches over wayward writers, will show up when we really need them. Though, I never like to take things for granted. You never know when he/she may be running late for work or misplaced their halo.

'Til next time...


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