Who's on first? Secondary characters who take over from the main characters.

Band Aha, music video, "Take on Me"

It's amazing how characters take on a life of their own as you write them. I know I'm not alone in this, because I see it so often. Characters who were slated to be background, secondary, or disposable, hold up their noses and refuse to fall into darkness. They rear up, write themselves a new position, and suddenly flare into fully realized main characters. For those who haven't written much this seems impossible, but trust me that characters have a nasty habit of ignoring your carefully crafted plans and come up with it all themselves.

 

Perhaps this makes me just a teeny bit nuts, but I don't care. Do I ever talk to myself? Silly question. Of course I do, and my characters talk back! That's one of the secrets of writers. We can't contain the story ourselves. Sure, careful thought and planning comes first, but then the specifics will make you change those plans all the time. It's okay. We all have our own methods of writing. Some plan every detail, while others do only generalizations, and still others have no plan other than the beginning. I like having a general outline, but love watching as the characters move around and alter my ideas.

So, sure, it's completely understandable when the main character changes. If it's a natural outcome of the story, then your audience will follow right along. I think one of the biggest mistakes authors make is forcing a main character who has no connection with the audience. We have to care about the main focus of the story, and if we don't then it feels wrong and won't work. Maybe if this is happening to you, it could be a sign that your story needs tweaking rather more than you expected.

 

It's okay. Keep moving on and create the story you deeply want to tell. Now that you know more, maybe starting from the new perspective is a good idea? Or, be like Steven King in the "Stand" and wipe out half of the cast so you can start over. George R.R. Martin loves doing that too, and look how popular "Game of Thrones" has become!

 

- M