Too Many Characters

I’ve got too many characters in my head.

This isn’t a horrible thing. It’s certainly better than not having any characters in my head. Without them, I’d be terribly lonely. For my entire life, imaginary people have been discussing their lives with me within the recesses of my brain and I’m quite used to ducking out of real life and into theirs every once and awhile. I used to do it in school when the teacher was talking about something deadly dull. I used to do it at night, alone, when I didn’t have a boyfriend and craved contact with someone warm and male. The people in my head have always been company for this only child who had plenty of friends growing up but still often felt like she was on the outside.

That’s where the writing came in, of course. I’d write down my characters and it’d solidify them. Once I’d started writing them, then the REAL discussions began. Because now we were talking more than just ether. This was real stuff. Would he really say that? Could she really do that? Would they hurt each other like that? Are they stupid enough to go in THERE?! Because now were talking about motivations.

Acting school helped. A lot. I learned tons about motivation and character quirks. Lots about character thinking and scene interaction. I learned that people are not still as they talk and they don’t always look each other in the face, and that people quite often don’t say what they mean. I’m told that I was rather good at acting. It was often suggested that I start directing. Well, see, that’d be cool and all, but there was one problem. Actors. Actors are other people with their own minds (imagine!). Actors tend to have their own thoughts about how a scene should go and they don’t always do exactly what the director wants. I should know this, having been one. So directing was out for me. Tried it a few times with short scenes. Drove me crazy each time and I hated it.

Nope. Writing was much better. Writing, I was in control. *snort* yeah, right. Anyone who’s heard me talk about my writing knows that my characters are in charge. They let me sit back and watch what they’re doing. Sometimes over and over as they struggle to get it just right. In a way, I really am directing except I have a little bit more control over my characters than actors because my characters come from my head.

Which brings me back to my original point. There are too many of them! I’m writing the fourth Dark Elves book right now. I need to be concentrating on them because this is important. This is a continuation of a pretty big, pretty special series for me and it’s the start of a three book arc that needs to go well. But see, I’ve got these rocker boys who still like to talk to me, even though I’ve given them all their happily ever afters. Just last weekend, Meg from Leashed caught me during one of my most vulnerable times–waking up in the morning–and practically dictated the story of Leashed 3 to me. Plus, I’ve got these other characters who no one has even met because I haven’t been able to get to their stories yet. They’re all clamoring for attention.

I’m not complianing. Not really. Again, I’d miss them if they were gone. I just wish they’d all take a number or something and go off and amuse themselves elsewhere until I call on them. *sigh*

Written by Jet Mykles

Jet is a writer of sexual fantasy with a firm belief that all men are at least partially gay, that vampires are just people with a liquid diet and shapeshifters live on every block.
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