Writing compared to Disney World (Part 2)

By Kelly Bridgewater

Last week, I wrote my first part of comparing my trip to Disney world with writing. Click here to read that piece of advice.

For today, I will be discussing expectations versus reality when it comes to Disneyworld and writing.

What did our family expect when we traveled to Disney World?

www.disneyfoodie.com

We expected a fun time filled with many memorable moments. My youngest son, Obadiah, is a huge Dumbo fan. He owns 15 different Dumbos, and he could not wait to write the Dumbo ride and maybe add another one to his collection. My middle son, Isaiah, is a huge Star Wars fan, so he wanted to experience the Stars Wars Jedi Training, and he adores the classic Herbie movies, so he wanted to see if there would be anything there about that. My oldest son, Elijah, is almost 14, so he tries to act like he is too cool for the trip to Disney World, but I know he really wants to go. I, personally, am surrounded my boys all the time, so I wanted to spend some time in Belle's castle. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie, so I want to do some girly things for a while. My husband loves thrill rides, so he really wants to do The Hollywood Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith Rock and Rollin' Coaster.

What did we actually experience?

www.disneytouristblog.com

Writing is the same thing. I spend a lot of time dreaming up plots with characters who roam across the page, imagining how their lives will change by the end of the book. I can see them falling in love or catching the bad guy and saving the day, but I also can struggle with peeling back their layers and allowing everyone to see their most vulnerable moments.

When I actually sit down and put my idea to paper, sometimes my story takes a different turn than I originally planned. Sometimes my characters act different than I saw them when they entered my life. The setting may even change to better suite my characters personality or even to make the characters lives more difficult. I love creating villains that are easy to hate or love. I can't decide. I enjoy when I really like the antagonist for his reasoning, but I also truly enjoy the moments when they have surprised me and made me hate them. I can't wait to see what is going to happen to them. I enjoy writing a story where the ending is totally unexpected and even I didn't see how the story was going to end.

Share with me an example of when your writing took a turn that surprised you. I want to be inspired by how many writers share this trait with me.