When the characters refuse to leave

They may have a good reason

While developing the plot for “Murder at Twin Beeches,” I needed two walk-on parts to move the story along: Someone to find the body in the pantry at Louise Jenkins’s estate, Twin Beeches, and someone to tell us about the victim discovered there.

Two very straightforward constructs to take care of a couple of essential details. After which the two characters would step off the pages of the book knowing they had made a worthy contribution to moving the plot along.

The characters were easy to find. Louise could have a close friend who is a busybody. Who else would open the pantry door during a cocktail party?  Welcome, Ruth Richards.

And since no one at the party seemed to know the victim, Michael Porter, or could understand why someone who delivers pizza for a living was found dead during an expensive, swanky fundraiser, I needed someone to fill us in. So shyly, ever so shyly, Carol Anne Jackson tiptoed onto the pages to tell us about her “Mikey.”

Perfect. And then I would move the story along.

Except it wouldn’t move without them or they wouldn’t let it. It’s hard to say who made the final call on that. But it was a good one.

In Ruth’s case, I realized she wasn’t going to leave without creating a gigantic fuss, so why fight it? It’s just not in her character’s DNA to go quietly into the night or off the page. After all, she found the body. This was the perfect environment for her to germinate the facts, rumors, and imagination under the I-was-there spotlight. And it shone brightly. Sometimes even Ruth needed to wear shades.

I also realized that Ruth was a keeper when one of my editors sent back tracked changes for me to review. I would always reread the section first without looking at the change indicated to see if I could catch it. In this particular case, I couldn’t find the error. Ruth talking. The structure, grammar, and punctuation all seemed correct.

I finally looked at the suggested change. It simply said, “Oh that Ruth.”

I was sure Ruth wanted to high-five the editor.

In Carol Anne’s case, I just couldn’t let her leave. When I wrote the description of the apartment she shared with Mikey, my heart was breaking. She was so alone now.

She and Mikey had plans; they had a future. She couldn’t do it alone. At least not yet. She had been abandoned once again. It was time to break that cycle. Louise agreed.

And to the dismay and/or confusion of the police, Louise took Carol Anne under her wing. Only time would tell if this was a smart or a dangerous move.

As an author, that is the joy of allowing the characters to take you places. Sometimes you must insist they turn around or step away; other times they take you in directions you didn’t know were on the map.

And the destination may be even better than the one you planned.