Angela Verdenius's Blog - Posts Tagged "doing-the-unexpected"
so my latest hero and I are arguing...
Honest to goodness, I just don't get it. I really don’t. I put pen to paper (okay, fingers to keyboard), breath life into my latest hero - the yummy, quiet Kirk from Gully’s Fall, that golden-haired cop, that hunky man who slings a leg over a black and chrome motorbike - and what do I get in return?
Does he do as he’s told?
Does he act as he’s supposed to?
Does he say what I expect?
How about a big, fat ‘no’ to all of these?
Okay, yes, he does some of it, but he should be doing ALL of it. Does he? Let me just repeat - NO!
He said something that rocked me.
Did something that shocked me.
Bemused me. Made me mad. Made me want to smack him.
I mean, really, is it so hard for this man to mould nicely to how I want him? Is it? IS IT?
In my mind I’m arguing with him “Really, Kirk, should you have said that?”
He just blinked at me, all quiet like.
“You shouldn’t have said that. Why did you say that?”
There’s his easy smile, just a little one, just a faint curl at the corner of his mouth.
“For the love of Mike or anyone else listening, what you just did - that’s not who you are. Do you understand?”
There’s that quiet gaze.
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
So calm, just looks me up and down, smiles quietly, looks away, turns back and regards me steadily.
“I have a delete key and I’m not afraid to use it.”
He winked.
See? See what I mean? HE WINKED!
This is the kind of internal battle I have with my characters. When they’re doing what they’re supposed to and then decide that they’ll throw something unexpected in.
I have four days off work. I can see an epic fight looming on the horizon with Kirk. His heroine has already had enough of him. I think you get the picture…
Does he do as he’s told?
Does he act as he’s supposed to?
Does he say what I expect?
How about a big, fat ‘no’ to all of these?
Okay, yes, he does some of it, but he should be doing ALL of it. Does he? Let me just repeat - NO!
He said something that rocked me.
Did something that shocked me.
Bemused me. Made me mad. Made me want to smack him.
I mean, really, is it so hard for this man to mould nicely to how I want him? Is it? IS IT?
In my mind I’m arguing with him “Really, Kirk, should you have said that?”
He just blinked at me, all quiet like.
“You shouldn’t have said that. Why did you say that?”
There’s his easy smile, just a little one, just a faint curl at the corner of his mouth.
“For the love of Mike or anyone else listening, what you just did - that’s not who you are. Do you understand?”
There’s that quiet gaze.
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
So calm, just looks me up and down, smiles quietly, looks away, turns back and regards me steadily.
“I have a delete key and I’m not afraid to use it.”
He winked.
See? See what I mean? HE WINKED!
This is the kind of internal battle I have with my characters. When they’re doing what they’re supposed to and then decide that they’ll throw something unexpected in.
I have four days off work. I can see an epic fight looming on the horizon with Kirk. His heroine has already had enough of him. I think you get the picture…
