Weeeellllll. You know how it is. Even when you're the author you still don't know everything about everyone, or even everything about the PLOT until you're in the middle of writing and you think "Oh...my God..." and yup. Everything connects in your brain and you see things you have never seen before!
I usually categorize these as the "AHA!" moments, and they range from various sizes of "no big deal" to "THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING". It's the latter version that makes writing such a thrill, really. And let's face it, the massive AHA! moment only comes one per book/series - that moment when you realize something so big about your character/story that it changes the entire way you start viewing the actions/plot/dialogue/EVERYTHING. And sometimes? You've even subconsciously left yourself clues to this discovery and you wonder how you could be so daft from seeing it this whole time.
My two biggest "AHA!" moments so far have definitely changed the entire way I've viewed my two series. One was so "profound" to me that I ended up having to shelve the series for a while so I can figure out what I'm going to DO with that realization. But that doesn't really compare to the headslap I gave myself for the OTHER "aha!" moment.
So, basically.
NAGNOMEI: "Oh, my God...that's it, literally...God..the narrator is GOD. No wonder he's so SON I R DISAPPOINT."
CROSS//: "TRALALALALA lololololol WAIT A MINUTE. THESE OLD GUYS ARE TOTALLY GAY. Shit, that changes the WHOLE DAMN STORY. EVERYTHING."
...So yes, Real Reader (even though she knows who she is, ha) I had no idea that they were gay for a long time. But now that I know I can reformat the entire novel to reflect this and now we all know that it's all about them after all~ (As opposed to the, you know, lesbians, who think it's all about them.) Ah hell I don't know anymore. I'll AHA it later.
So, got any great AHA moments to share?
Had a little chuckle reading your post. Yep, I know the AHA moment, and totally agree how it can come like a bolt from the blue.
ReplyDeleteI mean, we're only the writers, as you say, how can we be be expected to know how these characters, that we breathe life into are going to behave once they find their feet!
Looking forward to reading more of your posts soon.
Maria
AHA moments come in the middle of the night for me. "Oh, so that's what you're up to!" "Oh, so that's who's behind the whole thing!"
ReplyDeleteBut that's all the fun part of it. Don't stress about having to re-write or make a left turn in this. It will come. It is your passion. You will love the way it turns out. I promise.
Heh. Yeah. Figured out one of my characters that I did for the Camp NaNo was bi, which is why he's so antagonistic towards another character. :)
ReplyDeleteThe AHA moments are when you know you're doing something right.
ReplyDelete"O yea, by the way, this is your mom and dad." My friends real parents came to america from Sudan, and as they got off the plane they said "hi son." He looked back at his now-uncle, to which he said "O yea, by the way, this is your mom and dad."
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess it wasn't an AHA! moment as it was a WTF? moment, but I think the same principles applied.