Getting Characters To Cooperate

I have started the third book. It’s all plotted out and I’ve started writing scenes. You know where characters actually have to talk to each other?  Now my main character, she’s doing well.  Everything’s moving along nicely. She’s cooperative, if a little edgy with a bit of a ‘tude. That’s okay.  I like it.  And then I got to the scene  where she  meets her love interest.

Ta da!  Birds are singing, light is shining down from the heavens and…he refused to speak.  As a matter of fact he slouched down in his seat and glared. No matter what I did or how I prodded him he wouldn’t cooperate.  Really?

Here’s the thing.  I know this character.  I’ve written him before.  Difficult is his middle name. (It’s actually not but if I’d known what he was going to be like when I started writing him, it would have been).

I told one of my writer friends about this little incident and she said. “Ask him why.” Huh.  Not a bad idea (I love that she didn’t look at me like I was weird).  So I did.  I had a little written conversation with him.  It was a bit like texting. He is so sixteen.  I didn’t get full sentences from him but he articulated enough to get across that he was angry.  He didn’t like that I was making decisions without consulting him and by the way, he wasn’t too happy about how I treated him in the last book either. Ooooookay.

I think we worked it out.  When I get closer to being done I’ll post that conversation we had here. I don’t want to give too much away.  But this whole talking to my characters thing?  It can be exhausting and I’m still not sure which one of us is in charge.  Either way I’m having a good time.

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