I don't know about you, but I can never shut the characters up in my head. And if you ever tell a non-writer this, they look at you like you might be as crazy as they assumed you are. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
There is nothing like that moment when you are doing all you can to bring a character to life and you just can't figure them out, or they don't feel right, or they just aren't coming together as the person you want or need them to be -- and they tell you exactly who they are. Creepy, I know.
Yes, it's a crazy feeling, and it sometimes makes you wonder if you actually may be crazy. But then you do the sane thing and put them down on paper, you give them a voice, or they give themselves a voice, you allow them to play, you watch them grow, you challenge them and get completely surprised when they do things you never had planned for them.
But you have to be careful... you have to remind them, and remember yourself, that you must be the one in control in the end. You have to make sure that the story still makes sense. Sometimes a character can pull us in another direction, or make us want to play in a way that may not serve the story in the best way possible. And I am a huge proponent that character is key, that they must be what drives the story, not the other way around. But you also have to remember there are a handful of other characters around them that are all going to be affected by the actions of your main character. So you have to keep a close eye on them and make sure that the choices and actions they make stay within the confines of the story path you have set out upon.
A lot of writers will have their ending in mind from the start. But a lot won't. If you have an ending in mind, then it is a lot easier to just let your characters stay on the path you want them to be on, while allowing them some breathing room to grow. If you don't have an ending in mind, it can be harder to contain your characters and keep them on track. There is no right or wrong way when it comes to knowing your ending. Myself, sometimes I have my ending in mind before I outline, and sometimes I don't. But I do like to let my characters run a little free, as they begin to do the most interesting things. But I also make sure to reign them in if they take me to a place I don't want them or the story to go.
Remember, when you are creating and writing your characters, that you want to do everything in your control to make them feel like real, living, breathing, deep, and dimensional people to whoever is reading your script. That is the ultimate goal. So if you have to let them out to run and play, in light or dark ways, get in trouble, hurt themselves or others, disappoint you or make you proud, especially in the story exploration phase as you are plotting out your story, then, by all means, let them run.
And enjoy those voice in your head.
Now go... and Write Hard!
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