Creative jumps

I don't know how other writers work, I just know my characters control  me.

I want my character Sally Price, who was disowned by her father for leaving the strict church which he leads, to learn that he is dying. Over the years she has made some attempts to reestablish contact. Most of her letters are returned unopened. A few have not been and she hopes her mother has disobeyed her husband and opened and read the letters. She also fears they were lost in the mail.

She decides to drive to Maine to see her father taking her four-year old daughter Grace with her.

Here is where I lose control. Sally could ask any of the three other mothers from the day care center who share so much to go with her. All of them could over a weekend. Yet that pushy Susan Ainsworth comes stomping into the action.

I had created Susan as a writer who has been hired to do a creative non-fiction work on how women support each other. I made up interviews to help me define the four women's characters. Before I knew it Susan has become THE MAJOR character.

Susan says she is going with Sally and doesn't allow any backtalk. Susan dictates going at night which allows the four-year old Violette to sleep, but Sally can sleep too allowing Susan to think about the children which she has more or less ignored. I hadn't planned that at all which means two chapters because Sally needs to confront her parents. I suspect at this point it won't go well.

Now writing this I realize that Susan and Sally, names starting with S, can confuse the reader.

Back to the list of popular baby names 1969. www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-1969.htm
Susan had been number 11 that year. I ruled out Dawn, because all the Dawns I know are nothing like the iconoclast Susan.

Brenda was 39th in popularity, but it was a name I disliked based on my experience in first grade when a girl named Brenda painted the back of my favorite blouse. But then again, maybe it is time I forget something that happened decades ago. The writer in the book is a risk taker. And I don't have any other characters whose names start with B.

Last week, I did change a character's name from Carol to Medora. I don't usually use unusual names, but it was my great grandmother's name. I did a global find and replace. One problem. I also referred to Christmas Carols which became Christmas Medoras. Good thing this is still a first draft.

Meanwhile, this afternoon I will be in car with Susan/Brenda, Sally and Violette. Because it is night they won't be able to see the scenery. I've done the route so I didn't need to research the description.

I suspect if Sally had gone with any of her friends, they would have gone in the daytime.

Before I start I will have raclette for lunch and take the dog for a walk. Maybe during the walk Susan/Brenda will tell me the next bit of action.