DO YOU HEAR VOICES IN YOUR HEAD? by John Achor
As an author, I
am faced with any number of quandaries ― do I do this … do I do that? And
seldom is there a consensus. Every writer is an expert, so why shouldn’t I be
one. Back in my consulting days, we defined an expert as a person with a
briefcase fifty miles from home. Perhaps that is too presumptuous a mantle for
me to assume. Rather than clothing myself in such a shroud, I will limit myself
to what works for me. And for what it’s worth, I think that should be the
position all authors should take.
One expert I
read said ‘Characters don’t talk to the author. After all, who’s in charge?
You’re the author, tell them what to do.’ That caused me to step back and I re-examined
my habits. I found that while his method seem to work for him ― but don’t
necessarily help me.
Looking back
over the novels and short stories I’ve written, several of my characters have
had a serious discussion with me. During my writing career, I’ve created around
200 characters to populate my stories and that’s too many to track in my head.
I use a Microsoft Word file to organize them. I do my best not to repeat names,
but I’ve slipped a few times. That Word listing is invaluable because I have
characters who fill recurring roles in more than one novel ― and sometimes I
remember the character but have forgotten the name.
Back to those
voices in my head. One who stands out in my mind, was a fellow nicknamed
Hillbilly who filled a tertiary level position in the story. Up he popped, and
told me he wanted a larger role. I obliged him, and he became a main secondary
character … to the betterment of the tale.
In another
instance, the love interest of the male protagonist asked him about photos on a
table in his home. She commented that he moved them around at seemingly random
times and while there was a picture of his son, there were none of his wife.
Hmmm. As the author, I didn’t know the answer to her question either. I sat
down with the protagonist, asked him the question and he filled me in on his
back-story. I found the details interesting and wrote a novel about his story.
Turns out, this second novel was actually a prequel to the one I’d finished. In
chronological sequence, the first novel I wrote became the second in the life
of the protagonist. I’ll release them in chronological order in the character’s
life.
Maybe I should
have placed this paragraph up front, because by now you may be wondering about
my sanity. The voices I hear are my own. I’m not psychotic or schizophrenic ―
at least I don’t think so.
Where does that
leave me? Should I listen to my characters or should I stay in charge and make
them go places they don’t want to go? The answer for me is to listen to them ―
for other authors I say ― do what works for you to create the best story you
are capable of writing.
Don’t do what I
do, unless it fits. Try various approaches to your writing and look for comfort
zones … for you. I’m happy to share my position, but it is not my plan to force
my ideas on you. I vary my approach as situations dictate. Sometimes, even if I
need them, my characters remain silent ― much to my consternation. Yes, there
are times when I am required to do all the work myself.
Bio:
The first of John Achor’s three careers spanned
twenty years as a U.S. Air Force pilot. He accumulated over 4,000 hours flying
planes from Piper Cubs to the military equivalent of the Boeing 707. After the
military, he entered the real estate industry. He joined a national real estate
franchise as a management consultant working at the regional and national
levels. Those positions led him to Phoenix, Arizona, and an affiliation with a
major Savings & Loan institution.
In John's words, “When the Savings and Loan industry
melted away like a lump of sugar in hot coffee, I knew it was time to develop a
third career.” He became a freelance computer instructor, user-developer,
consultant, writer and Community College instructor.
In mid-1999, John moved to Hot Springs Village,
Arkansas, where he lived in the piney woods with his wife Pat and their two
cats, Lexus and Betsy Ross. As you may know from his latest book or web site;
these two cats are no longer with them. Big hole in their lives, but both are
waiting for us by The Rainbow Bridge. Their latest move was a recent relocation
to the Omaha, Nebraska area where John is busy meeting and greeting new
writers, readers and writing groups.
Website
URL: www.johnachor.com
Blog
URL: www.johnachor.wordpress.com
Facebook
URL:www.facebook.com/jachor1
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/caseyfremont
Amazon buy link for Five-Six, Deadly Mix:
Amazon buy link for Three-Four, Kill Some More:
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Four-Kill-Some-More-Fremont/dp/151514805X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478131870&sr=8-1&keywords=three+for+kill+some+more
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Four-Kill-Some-More-Fremont/dp/151514805X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478131870&sr=8-1&keywords=three+for+kill+some+more
Comments