Voices in my Head

I read an interesting post on Shannon Hale's website this past week regarding the process of developing a story. She said that writers tend to either outline the plot and then develop their characters or a fully formed character tells their story during the writing process. So that got me thinking about how it works for me and I realized that the answer isn't so clear-cut. It depends on the story and the character. I came to love two of my characters from The Devil's Key so much, that I wanted to change the plot to suit them, and I did somewhat. However, in the sequel, I can't or it ruins the story line. So the plot where everything does not turn out happy in the end is definitely driving that one. We'll see if I ever get to write it.

Right now I'm developing the world that my characters live on for a new story I've started but can't seem to write about any more until I know what it's like there. I know the basic plot elements already and have a clear sense of the protagonist and what motivates and frightens him. But the other characters? The setting? They've been mere shadows on the fringe of my sub-conscious. But as I hear and see them more clearly in my head, I understand how everything fits together. I've even imagined an entire backstory, which I like better than anything else I've come up with so far.

I can't wait to write that one because Kali keeps whispering to me and it's very character-driven but still has a fantastic plot (at least, I think so). I know that hearing voices is generally NOT considered psychologically healthy. But maybe every writer has voices in their head. Jodie Foster in Nim's Island was hilarious and I totally related. I write what I dream, what I wish, and what terrifies me. To one degree or another, parts of myself are woven into whatever I write. I think that's why rejection can be so hard. Because if a writer can't separate out themselves from their writing, criticism feels terribly personal. Maybe bestselling authors don't have this problem, only emerging writers like me. So here's to the voices in my head. I hope they tell me a fantastic story that no reader, agent, or publisher can refuse.