Characters Go On Strike, Demand Better Pay

Since I’ve been snatched deep into the jaws of holiday retail, I’m turning over my blog to a few of my favorite authors for the month of December. This week I have the pleasure of introducing Jesikah Sundin, Author of The Biodome Chronicles. Look for Book 1, Legacy, in January 2014.

In this post, Jesikah relays something I think all writers can relate to–the frustration of having your characters being fully uncooperative. The currency with which Jesikah meets their demands is surprising, hilarious, and perfect. Without further ado . . .

The window curtain is open just enough to glimpse the wilds of the greenbelt without fully captivating my attention. The laptop is plugged in, Scrivener is up, and my fingers tentatively rest on the keyboard ready for their day’s labor. They are momentarily saved from clocking in when my favorite coffee cup teases me with the smoky and earthy aroma of freshly brewed coffee laced with sweet cream. I take an eager sip and my taste bud receptors immediately wire messages to the brain (aka HQ) that this author is officially ready to write and reporting for active duty.

HQ wires back: “Too bad. Characters on strike today. Negotiating a better wage.”

Yes, you’ve read correctly and no I’m not delusional.  Although I can understand how one might jump to such conclusions, considering I have just been issued a challenge from HQ demanding better pay for the figments of my imagination.  And trust me, I would rather meet those demands than better living conditions.  That’s an unfortunate problem I can’t fix.  But better pay is doable – once I’ve processed the shock and disappointment.

First stage is denial. I didn’t see it coming. Just yesterday we were laughing and crying together and then *bam* out of nowhere they make such a shocking request. Now all I can do to cope is hold a vacant stare at the computer screen or out my window as the mind-numbing minutes pass by.

My second response is anger. Fine. If that’s the way you characters want to play then so be it.  I’ll go spend time with someone else who appreciates my attention, maybe another character in another story. At this point I resist the urge to stick out my tongue and make taunting noises.

Third stage is exploring their point-of-view.  Dammit. I would have to go and be an author and try to understand where my characters are coming from! What’s up guys? How did I misunderstand your needs? Did I poorly represent your conflicts and emotive responses to said conflicts?

Normally the negotiations fizzle out in this stage and the characters open up and spill their guts. My fingers twitch in ebullience while flying over the keyboard and the voices in my head reward me with juicy details, tension, conflict and plot twists.

Not all characters are easily appeased and this is when I have to put on my power suit and remind them who is boss. They work for me, after all. I hired them after they presented an impressive resume of story potential and I’ve invested much time (and dare I say anguish?) for their literary future. They are really adamant about a wage increase, though, and refuse to whisper another tale until I’ve satisfied their demands.

I buckle, more from curiosity than anything else.  How does one increase pay for the figment of one’s imagination?

Words — beautiful, luscious, seductive, tasty, and mind savoring words.

Let’s face it. Some characters, and consequently some stories, have richer palettes than others and, therefore, require higher wages for their extravagant lifestyle.

The aroma wafting from my favorite coffee cup begs for another sip to be relished. The bold flavors zip on my tongue while the taste bud receptors wire another message to HQ stating that I will meet the demands.  I click on Pinterest and my fingers rest on the keyboard impatient to add another verb to my “Ready…Set…ACTION” board.  I find a picture that captures my imagination, a verb to describe the motion in the image, and then look in an old school analog thesaurus for synonyms, typing the words into the description box before I click “pin”.  After toning the vocabulary muscles to the point of eye strain, my character is satisfied and the storytelling begins.

Do your characters ever go on strike and block your writing with unexpected mandates?  What have you done to negotiate with the figments of your imagination?

My characters wish to amuse you with the product of their demands, so feel free to check out my writing boards on Pinterest with these links: 1) Emotional Expressions (character writing)  2) Ready…Set…ACTION (verbs for writing)  3) Setting the Scene (visual nouns/adjectives for writing)

Jesikah is a sci-fi / fantasy writer mom of three nerdlets and devoted wife to a gamer geek. You can find her spunky and old-school parenting blogs featured on Studio3Music and Silly=Sane, as well her tips on character development in a blog for Poisoned Pen Press. Larping.org recently featured a blog on the inspiration behind her upcoming series, “The Biodome Chronicles.” Book one, LEGACY, is scheduled to be published in late January 2014.