One being I might and do change my mind as the story progresses. Although I always know where a story is going to go, have a good idea of the general steps along the way, those things can change. I do not have an outline written on stone.
I've read writers who say the story takes over. This almost sounds occult to me, but I know what they mean. It never happens in my stories. That story will abide by my rules, and it will end up where I want it to be. If I could not control it, I'd quit writing. Frankly life has too much that is out of control for me to invite it into my writing.
These characters and I have a relationship. Developing them, discovering who they are, will change things as I write the action. I create a character and then have to decide what that character's personality is really like. In this new story, I do have such a secondary character where I think I can write about the process with her without ruining the story for readers.
Connie Sicilla is a natural psychic who does readings but not for a career. She does them because it was a natural gift she wishes to use to benefit others. She is cautious about who she will see as well as who might know of her gift as she has had bad experiences in other towns when people fear what they do not understand.
Today, most psychics I have met do it for a business. I've heard though of those like Connie, who don't want money. In a way, a natural sensitive, like Connie, is more free to do one, to say what she gets, to not feel she must provide something even if she didn't 'get' anything because she took money for it. Not saying paid psychics are less honorable but certainly an unpaid one could be more honorable-- unless there is a hidden motive in her not taking money.
It was fun when I had my heroine come to Connie. Priscilla Wesley, who first appeared in the book before this one, is fascinated by the other side, by possible occult experiences. Hence she is logically interested in going for a reading when she hears of this woman.
When I wrote the reading, I decided it would begin with a Tarot deck. I had a feeling my deck would not have been available then but Tarot itself has been around for thousands of years. To avoid having to research what her cards might've looked like, I opted to have her interpret without describing the cards.
Because I do Tarot myself, I did the reading for my characters, and it came out perfectly for what I needed. It was a good start to the reading for Connie as she went beyond the cards to use her inner sight and her feeling of Priscilla's energy.
Connie is a good person who has a sense of responsibility for what she tells those who might come to her. That much is definite. But where I am undecided is in regards Connie's husband-- Del. He is a faro dealer and bartender at a Tucson bar. Is he a good guy or bad?
The potential for what it will mean to Priscilla's life for connecting with Connie is where it gets iffy. Priscilla is the daughter of wealthy parents. If Connie's husband is not honorable, he could be a danger to her. Or if he's a good man like his wife, he could help Priscilla by various methods. That's the kind of thing you wrestle with, as a writer, sometimes go one way and then change if you see more potential to a different direction.
Frankly secondary characters are very important to a full length book and without them, the stories really don't have the depth. It's how the main protagonists treat others that often tells the most about who they are.
I described Connie in the book but that also could change depending on whether she becomes a more major character or just one of those who come and go through our lives. For now I used an image above taken of me about five years ago along our creek. If I opted to use it in the book, I'd change the background and put her in a more mystical background and definitely desert oriented.
