Who do you follow, your synopsis or your characters?

Today, I'm going to answer a question from Dora: You have talked about doing a synopsis for your book, an outline of the main points. What happens when you start doing the actual writing and the character tells you something way different, sending the story in a different and better direction? Do you just say oops to your editor or do you try to convince the character to back off and go with what you had in the synopsis?

Great question, Dora. When I'm writing a synopsis AND when I'm writing a book, I know how the book begins and how it ends. For the purposes of pitching (and selling) a book to my publisher, I also have to come up with some major plot points to go in between. However, when I start writing the book, something (and usually quite a few somethings) change. My characters ALWAYS take the plot in a different direction that what I'd envisioned and written in my synopsis. Some of those major plot points don't get used, so I just push them to the next book. I have a plotline that I've been planning to use for the past two books; it's just never fit once I start the actual writing. It will definitely be used in Con & Conjure.

My editor has never minded in the least about me not sticking like glue to my synopsis. That being said, my books always have the beginning and ending that I pitched in my synopsis; it's just some of the stuff in the middle that changes. Editors expect that. It's your creativity (and characters) taking over. That means that your book is coming to life in your head and on the page. Both of these are VERY GOOD things. Never fight your characters; they know what's best, even if you don't realize it until later. If one of my characters takes off in a different direction that what I'd planned, I just go "woohoo!", take off running after them, and enjoy the ride.

Tomorrow I'll post some of the other entries from the "Find Talon" contest -- AND I'll tell you about the cool post I have planned for Monday.

It's Friday, folks -- WOOT! Have yourselves a great weekend!
Lisa