How to Deal with a Change of Character

You know that moment when a character finally decides to inform you that you've been wrong about them all this time? It could be the gradual change, where your character, after a while of proving to you that this isn't the right route, will give up and blurt it out.
Your character might suddenly poke you with a stick and shout, "You're wrong! NO, THAT'S NOT ME!" I have most experience with this one, honestly.

It might be in attitude. Maybe you're super-cool, kick-butt, action-loving teenager is slowly becoming less action-loving and more of the sit-at-home type. Or your meek and shy character grows a backbone all of the sudden. Or your side character becomes more interesting than the main character. Or - as you've noticed, I could probably go on for a while. :) But that's because it's natural for your characters to change, and it's natural for you not to be completely right from the beginning.

But it's not just in attitude. Recently, one of my characters informed me that she does not look like this, what was I thinking, and that's not her name. She chose an awful time for it too: I had been on a roll, cranking out lots of words filled with her looking like this, dressing like this, named this. I knew that there would be multiple drafts, but that didn't mean I was prepared
But I (eventually) came around to her point of view. Making those changes made her the character I had envisioned originally, the character she was meant to be. I still loved her former self, of course, but I had to do some - ok, a lot - of pruning.

But pruning isn't a bad thing. In fact, it's a very good thing! That doesn't mean that you're necessarily going to like it when your character pulls the "Nope, not me" moment. But it does mean go with the flow. Try out your character's new look/attitude/etc. and see if that works. Sometimes, it will take you a long time to come around to their point. Unfortunately, I cannot promise you that your character will not say "I told you so!" Why? Because my character did.

Example:
Ember: Ha!
Me: Don't say it.
Ember: I.
Me: Stop.
Ember: Told.
Me: I know!
Ember: You.
Me: *hands over ears* Lalalalala!
Ember: So! So there!

Ok, so my characters are a bit... *whispers* nuts. And stubborn. But that's not the point. The point is, you don't have anything to be scared of when she/he/it pulls that moment. Just be prepared, 'cause you're in for a wild ride. Go with the flow, give them a little leash, and have fun! Make them so irresistible that you, their author, will fall in love with them a thousand times over. Make it worth the writing and worth the reading!

-Autumn