Your Characters Are Smarter Than You

When I teach creative writing, I often say my characters have better ideas than I do. There's a lot of truth to that notion. In fact, I just proved that to myself today while writing a chapter for The Water War (book three of the Milligan Creek series, due out this fall). I had no idea this morning that I was going to "kill" one of my major characters, but as the scene I had started yesterday unfolded during my writing session, one thing led to another, and suddenly, the Water War claimed its first casualty. The great thing about letting your characters lead the way like this is that if you, the writer, don't see such events coming, there's a good chance your readers won't either, because you won't have subconsciously planted any hints along the way. Something to remember in your own writing endeavours.