It’s interesting. A chapter or a scene plan in my head, or even plotted in writing can change at the drop of a hat. Having just vomited 1000 drafted words of chapter 3, I find the quest group already coming apart at the seams – and I had not planned for that to happen. The sceptic of the group has decided that enough is enough and that he doesn’t want to be a part of the protagonist’s stupid game any longer! This is not what I, as the writer, envisaged. How dare one of my characters decide to go rogue and scatter my best laid plans all over the place like a kicked up heap of autumnal leaves – how very dare he. What do I do now? I find it exciting that’s what I know for sure. A character suddenly gets a mind of his own and I need to look for a different way forward, or at least the remaining characters in the group do. All I ask of them now is…please, behave.

But as I said, from a writer’s perspective this is really interesting. I guess this is entering the panster versus plotter debate. As I tapped away at the keyboard I seemed to want to fight against the split, I felt as though there was a battle of wills between myself and the character in question. I frantically fought to keep the group together but this defiant, bloody-minded character was having none of it. He is now stomping off in the opposite direction to his friends. Will he have another change of mind, a change of heart and make yet a further u-turn, or will he return home to his cosy bed and play no further part in the adventure. More fool him if he decides the latter, for exciting times lay ahead.