Author Teddy Raye discusses characters who don't always do what you tell them. What happens when the inmates take over the asylum?
"Sydney had always hypothesised that the legends surrounding Elwess Talbert’s sexual prowess were so outrageous, they must be the product of a good copy editor—most likely Elwess himself. Nobody could be that good. It was said he was the entire package: a physical, mental and verbal Top, and very good at what he did—some said the best. She risked a glance into his dark, intelligent eyes, and wondered if she might have to rethink her theory." Her Minder, Book One: The Doctor; Chapter Eighteen - Elwess
"In the first draft of Her Minder, the character of Elwess Talbert had a walk-on part. Dahlra took Sydney to the Chine to play with Elwess, who was just an acquaintance at this point. At the last minute, though, Dahlra bottled out. He just couldn't share Sydney with another man. Elwess showed up, introduced himself, said some badass Dom stuff and did a little flirtation with Sydney, then left them to their own devices in the Chine (which was called something else as well). At the time, he looked pretty much like he does now.
I then decided to change the way he looked. He became older, less badass and more patriarchal. It was at that point he became Dahlra's mentor in the Minder programme; an older, seasoned man, an Elder Statesman.
He stayed that way for about a month.
Then I had the idea to make him a baddie. I changed his appearance again, dropped the idea of being Dahlra's mentor, and he became a predator who attacked Sydney and was eventually done away with. And while I ended up abandoning that idea, I kept his appearance, and put his face on another character, who has ended up with a recurring role in the first two books. I'll give you a hint: he has long-blond hair, and dresses like the Krays! ;)
But Elwess was JUST not going to take this lying down. I returned him to his original physical description, and suddenly, made him Dahlra's mentor again, he and Dahlra got getting busy with Sydney in the Chine. And that was going to be IT.
Except he wouldn't let me! He kept popping up. I'd be sitting here, typing away, and he'd start insinuating himself into conversations. He made cameo appearances all over the place. He grew closer to Dahlra and Sydney, until they really weren't a couple anymore. I'd just created my first threesome.
Stephen King once wrote that he couldn't really control his characters; that people needed to remember that he was not solely responsible for their actions. I have found this to be true. Just because you create a character, it doesn't mean you are completely in charge. They have their story to tell, and they will tell it, sometimes in spite of you.
A good character will grow and evolve, and the best characters will surprise you. Pretty soon, you will wonder how you ever lived without them."