Chaos Factors

I'm not aware of any other word for this type of character, so I made up a term that I find rather fitting.

Chaos Factors, while not completely necessary, are the elements that make a plot malleable. Generally, when we plot something, there's little room for changes unless we build in blank space. Chaos Factors are characters or things that can, at a moment's notice, chance the course of a character arc, or an entire plot line.

They're particularly interesting to me because generally speaking, authors aren't in control of them. They keep the writing spicy and entertaining to write, as well as read.

I have a character in my novel who started out as a primary love interest. She was sweet and actually pretty boring. She was just sort of a foil for the protagonist. A few months later, before I'd really started the novel in earnest, my protagonist informed me that he had zero interest in her, and was in fact in love with another character.

In turn, she informed me that she was NOTHING like I'd assumed. She wasn't a brunette, she was a red head. And she also let me know that I didn't control her anymore. She became a Chaos Factor. And as I wrote the book, she'd pop in here or there and throw me a curve ball that I didn't see coming.

There's a certain unpredictability about these things. And, as I said, they make the writing a lot more fun because you realize that you don't have complete control. It keeps you on your toes. It also makes it fun for the reader, because they lose the ability to say "Well, this is all extremely predictable and I can see where this is heading." Every time it starts to feel like that, something needs to change.

Chaos Factors allow for those changes, and they also make your job a lot more interesting. It might take a little time to recognize them for what they are, but once you do a lot of new doors open up.
Topics: Writing , Author , Novel , Authorship , Creativity , Chaos