Quote:
Originally Posted by MemoryTale  In a sense, I do agree with Peter. We do create the characters, they can't "truly" do anything without us at the keyboard, but at the same time we can't do anything they wouldn't want to do. I could get on my keyboard and write a fanfiction where Dr. Who marries the Master, teams up with the Daleks and go on the conquer the universe. And it would suck, because everyone knows that for all that to happen the main character would have to do a forced face/heel turn that goes against the grain of everything he stands for. The writer is not in complete control, not if they want to call themselves a good writer. |
The bolded sentence can mean one of two things:
1. That a writer cannot control a reader's reaction to his writing, and cannot guarantee that they will believe in their characters' decisions and motivations.
The above is perfectly reasonable, and undeniably true.
2. That there are things a writer cannot write because characters exercise some sort of control beyond the strictures of the story, a control that supercedes that of the writer.
The above is fanciful nonsense.
A writer is in complete control. Only the writer places the words on the page, only the writer describes the characters, who they are, and what they do. It is perfectly possible that someone could write about the Doctor teaming up with the Master to conquer the universe. It may not seem plausible given the canon; but those words can be written. That story can be told.
A good writer is in complete control of what he or she puts on a page. Always.