Totem Pole of Control in Writing

I imagine plenty of people think the story is the writer's. Nothing happens in the story unless the writer wants it that way. However, that's definitely not what happens. No, the characters yank the story from your hands, then run off with it and do whatever they jolly well please.

While reading an issue of Writer's Digest recently, I saw a great example of this. There was an author who, when signing books, would often write, "I'm sorry about Page 194. I tried to talk her out of it." And he insisted that was really the case; he wanted the story to go one way, but the character did something totally different.

So what is this 'totem pole' described in the title, and what does it consist of? Well, allow me to explain. And no, I'm not winning, as I'll soon discuss.

God.

Well, who else is there? Certainly not anyone else. The all-knowing Creator of the universe obviously knows where this story is going, unlike certain clueless mortals we shall refer to as Meowmocha. There are too many coincidences, too many places where pieces fit together perfectly.

And let's not forget the most obvious fact: God created everything, knows everything, and controls everything. In contrast, many of us struggle to make a piece of clay resemble what we imagine, wonder how atoms work, and can't even convince the dog to move off your side of the bed. God is also all-powerful, while we can't move the five-hundred pound Rottweiler from our side of the bed, and end up sleeping pressed against the wall.

But that's another story for another time. And another side of the bed than where you intended to sleep.

Characters.

They have minds of their own, seriously. Just because they appeared in my head, doesn't mean I have control of them. Once, I planned to have some characters get together and discuss negotiations with another kingdoms. Instead, a huge argument began, and many of them stormed off. The events that followed seemed to help advance the plot, though, so I suppose their idea, however disastrous it seemed, actually ended in some good.

I also have trouble with controlling world-building, sometimes as a result of the characters. I say no, but they seem to hear yes. I wanted it one way, and they go off and do it another way. At this point, I might as well just sit back and let them do all the work, since that's often how it works out anyway.

And down at the very bottom, small and confused...

Is the writer. And often squished too, under the weight of the very demanding characters. If you met some of my characters, you'd understand.

Let's face it, we don't have much control sometimes. It's more like we bumble around and stuff just happens to us, much like my main character as he tries to figure out what he's doing, or how he ended up here, or how he's going to get out of it, or...

Okay, forget it. We just think we're in control. It's a falsehood we like to believe, an illusion the characters try to maintain for us while they're ignoring the writer's plaintive cries. But at the end of the day, we're just writing down the story as it unfolds before us, like a mute, invisible journalist documenting the events of the world around them. We don't have any control at all.