Another day on the beach, another page, another character to develop.
It is amazing how work goes smooth one day and is interrupted the next day by various factors outside your control. One day the story is so clear and the next day the "what if" scenarios appear. You have to ask yourself, shall I rewrite now or wait and see how this goes. As many writers discover, the struggle comes from letting the characters tell the story or acting like "father knows best" and controlling it yourself. Can you trust your characters? I think it all depends on how strong and realistic you make them as well as how fully you have them developed before you start writing. Yes, sometimes a character develops into a whole new being and a rewrite is necessary, but that can be a good thing. After all, that is why they call it a first draft.
Keeping track of all of the different scenarios can be a daunting task, especially when many of them come to a writer late at night while everyone else is sleeping. It is important to keep track of all of the sub plots and twist that you discover. A character can be like a new friend. Some times it takes a while to fully know and understand the motives, goals and dreams of a character that does not fully understand himself as well.
My suggestion is to take the time to be a friend of your characters. You will be rewarded as well as your readers.
Johnny Ray
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