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They grow up so fast...

Journal Entry: Sun May 31, 2009, 12:18 AM




She's... alive!!!

This is a response to :iconjasonpark1987: who was ruminating on characters that take a life on their own.


Not being much of a writer, I thought it was ridiculous when a writer said that their characters 'surprise' them. I wondered how characters surprise you when you plot their every action.



But Jenever Hibiscus, my character, surprises me. Some of my main characters require scripting and require thought, and their actions and reactions have to be measured and judged and refined, and that's how I thought characters were written.



But Hibiscus is a spitfire and won't take direction, she will burst into a scene half-cocked, guns firing, throwing things, cursing and causing havok. She will thwart my every attempt to control her and, though it may reflect badly on me, it's a lot easier and more interesting to record what she does than to dictate what she does. She has better ideas than I do.


For example, there was a scene where I wanted her to jump from one giant robo-mobile to the other and knock out the driver. It was simple, dynamic, and worked. That's not... how it happened. Instead, she chases it down on horseback. Great idea Hib, verry smart to attack a battle ready robot on a horse. Besides, I suck at drawing horses, thanks again. Well, lets make this work. Jump up there, surprise him, knock him out, let's get going. No... no. Instead, she almost bounces off the side of the robot, clearly alearting the driver, who sees her horse gallop away. She then, nose bloodied, drags herself over the shield and gets into a very close range gun fight with the driver. But since this distraction has caused the driver to veer into rough terrain, neither can hit the other. What the hell are you doing, Jenever! This coulda been a three panel ordeal!


This scene may be pretty frustrating to me as a writer, since I am not in control, but it is still dynamic and eventually works. But it is also funny and a lot more suspenseful, and shows much more guts and ingenuity on her part. It reinforces her character and fits well with the story even if it does add a couple pages.


I empathise with writers with runaway chars, I feel your pain. But at the same time... how cool is that?!?




  • Mood: Tired
  • Eating: Chef Boyardee.
  • Drinking: Iced Tea

Devious Info

  • Current Residence: Edmonton, AB
  • Interests: Anime, Manga, Martial Arts, Japanese stuff.
  • Favourite movie: Kung Fu Hustle
  • Favourite band or musician: Alanis, Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
  • Favourite genre of music: Funk, Jazz, Hip-hop, Blues, R&B
  • Favourite artist: Masashi Kishimoto, Ken Akamatsu
  • Favourite style of art: Manga, Graffiti
  • Operating System: Mac OSX
  • MP3 player of choice: iPod Touch
  • Favourite game: Steambot Chronicles
  • Favourite gaming platform: PS2
  • Favourite cartoon character: Jiraiya
  • Tools of the Trade: Manga Studio 3.0 EX and Photoshop CS4
  • MSN: ryandika@live.ca

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Comments


Thanks for the visit.

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Psh, I am already a ninjapiratejediwizardpimp
fizzbitchmessiahgodsockpuppet.
`votemark

But that would be a waste of pee :noes:
*steph1254 About peeing on chavs. (She made the avatar.)
thanks for the watch. check this out too [link] for more detailed updates. :)
I see...he will probably get it real soon :peace:
o,o really interested in your steambot pirates, planning something sc related? =D

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Do you love Music? Do you love RPG's? Do you love Romance? Do you love Mechas? Steambot Chronicles is for you! join now! [link]
Yep, in Year After begins the story of some other characters in a story that significantly expands on the Steambot Chronicle universe, while remaining true to the spirit and charm of the source. I'm really excited about it.

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