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Character Crossroads

markselias11 ๐Ÿšซ

So I'm wondering, as fellow writers, how do you handle a situation where you find one or more of your characters at a crossroads, but you can't come to a decision on which way to proceed?

The situation I'm currently writing revolves around my main character and his first girlfriend. They've just had a big fight (not their first) and now sit at a crossroads. She's revealing something deep to him explaining her reasoning for the fight. But this isn't the first fight. I want the scene to be organic and natural. My first thought was to use the scene to break them up and move them on and further their own stories. But as I started writing the scene and things started flowing, some of the things she revealed were really deep and my MC almost comes off looking like an asshole if he breaks up with her.

Then there is the other option that they forgive and go on down the road. As I started writing the scene that's where I started drifting but if I stop and think about it, I can't really commit to doing that either lol.

It doesn't help that my writing style is very much go with the flow and not plan too far in advance, but right now that philosophy is kicking me in the butt.

So what do YOU guys do when you are at a crossroads with a character and can't decide what to do? I'm curious to know what other people's process is like.

Dominions Son ๐Ÿšซ

@markselias11

Work on something else for a while and let the issue percolate in the back of my mind.

Replies:   Ernest Bywater
Ernest Bywater ๐Ÿšซ

@Dominions Son

Work on something else for a while and let the issue percolate in the back of my mind.

ditto, and ditto

bk69 ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

@markselias11

Are you familiar with the internal method?

Get into character. How would you react, in character? That's how the character reacts.

But just from what you said? He dumps her. Guys are assholes. We all know it. And unless there's amazing makeup sex, being in a relationship with constant strife is not good. So unless he's the world's biggest pussy, he's not going to forgive her.

Replies:   markselias11
markselias11 ๐Ÿšซ

@bk69

Are you familiar with the internal method?

I am familiar with it, but honestly hadn't given it much thought. I've been trying to look at it from the writers perspective and shape it to fit a narrative that I want to eventually do later on. I can see the MC wanting to do both of the options, but I'll have to give it some more thought.

Replies:   bk69
bk69 ๐Ÿšซ

@markselias11

I've been trying to look at it from the writers perspective and shape it to fit a narrative

Sometimes, characters hijack the story and divert it from the path you intended.

Replies:   Darian Wolfe
Darian Wolfe ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

@bk69

Lol, yes they do. I sometimes have conversations with my characters. I had a big onstage sex scene setup for one of them. She told me there's no way that she was going to have sex in front of other people meaning the readers. Another time a story was delayed because one of the characters chose to be difficult. I had to wait until they felt more comfortable sharing their deep emotions.

Thomas Alexander Garrison ๐Ÿšซ

@markselias11

Have someone (better yet: a few someones) you trust read what you have so far and ask them. Be sure to make them articulate the reasons the character go this way or that.

Replies:   markselias11
markselias11 ๐Ÿšซ

@Thomas Alexander Garrison

Have someone (better yet: a few someones) you trust read what you have so far and ask them. Be sure to make them articulate the reasons the character go this way or that.

I've got an editor who I've been working with. I'm currently on about chapter 22 and he's been with me the whole time. I'm currently leaning towards sending him two versions of the scene and asking him to tell me what he thinks of each one. No one else around me knows I'm writing the story so I can't really send it to anyone but my editor.

richardshagrin ๐Ÿšซ

There are authors that write an A and a B version of the story so they can produce both options. Then let your readers vote which option they prefer.

Jason Samson ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

There are stories that follow someone through many different episodes, with loose ends being left every step of the way.

But I prefer stories where the strands are tight together at the start and rejoin at the end, instead. It's more of a single story.

From the limited information you've given, I'm imagining that the story so far focuses on the couple. If they now break up and go different directions, does that dump all the emotional investment that had been built so far? Much nicer for the boy to learn and mature and see the girl as more than an object? Eventual happy ever after etc.

Replies:   Dominions Son
Dominions Son ๐Ÿšซ

@Jason Samson

There are stories that follow someone through many different episodes, with loose ends being left every step of the way.

If the story is meant to be true to life, well, real life is like that.

awnlee jawking ๐Ÿšซ

@markselias11

I take it you're writing on the fly and you don't have the story mapped out through to its conclusion.

Is it your intention to tag the story as 'Romantic'? If so, the couple should probably stick together.

AJ

Replies:   markselias11
markselias11 ๐Ÿšซ

@awnlee jawking

I take it you're writing on the fly and you don't have the story mapped out through to its conclusion.

Is it your intention to tag the story as 'Romantic'? If so, the couple should probably stick together.

I am writing it on the fly. That's my writing style overall. I can't plan too far ahead or else I just spend all day planning and planning and then I get lost in trying to figure out how to connect the dots. It's a style that definitely has its pros and cons, but what style doesn't. I DO have some bigger plot points in mind and and I have some clue as to where I want them to be within the continuity of the story, but even those ideas are not completely set in stone.

As for the tagging of the story, I haven't entirely worked out all the tags yet. I have a certain point I want to get to before I start releasing the chapters on SOL. When I reach that point I'm going to make the decisions on tags. The only tag I know for certain would be the Coming of Age genre tag. As I'm writing this the romantic tag will probably be there. What was throwing me off was the fact that the relationship he is in wasn't meant to be long term. The genre is Coming of Age so you can't throw the star couple together too early right? lol. The girlfriend was meant to be a secondary character support character, but I've really enjoyed writing her and she's kind of grown on me.

From the limited information you've given, I'm imagining that the story so far focuses on the couple. If they now break up and go different directions, does that dump all the emotional investment that had been built so far?

Yeah I didn't give a lot of information because I plan to hopefully start getting some chapters released here soon and don't want to spoil things too much, but thankfully I did find a happy medium with the particular scene. Thankfully the focus of the story isn't on that couple in particular. As I said above, the girlfriend in question really started out as a supporting role character. The relationship hasn't had so much emotional development that it's a huge major shake up, but there has been enough where it was a difficult scene to think about writing.

I do like your thought about the story being tight and the strands metaphor. That's what I'm going for here. I'm sticking strictly to a first person POV. I don't plan on having any sort of chapters were there is a "guest narrator" or anything like that. Nothing against that type of writing, but I want to have the mystery of not knowing fully what other characters are thinking or feeling. It brings in all levels of excitement and surprise when things unfold later on in the story. I think writing it like that helps keep a lot of those strands together. That way you don't have too much going on all at once.

Replies:   Tw0Cr0ws
Tw0Cr0ws ๐Ÿšซ

@markselias11

The girlfriend was meant to be a secondary character support character, but I've really enjoyed writing her and she's kind of grown on me.

So after their break-up and the MC goes on to who he is going to end up with you write a spin-off story about her.

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