Ebb & Flow & The Ability to Adapt

I don't really want to write about myself but something's been on my mind I feel is lost upon newer writers. I started two different series; The Fairlane series & The Nation series. My first book was in the Fairlane, second in The Nation, and my third book was the second in the Fairlane. So my mind was trying to force myself to write the second book in The Nation next. It only made sense, get two in each series done and out for the world to soak in. But after starting the second book in The Nation, my mind started bubbling ideas about the third Fairlane book. In all honesty, I already know where the third book is headed, but there are the details that fill in the structure of the book. That's what was bubbling in my mind. So, I started writing. And as I wrote more words started spilling out of my fingers onto the keyboard. Which brings me to my point. Writers, new and old, sometimes fall into a trap of forcing words out that aren't ready or directing a story to go a certain way because it's the way the writer imagined it. You get the idea. But here's the thing, everyone who's ever written anything, a song, short story, novella, novel, poem, whatever, knows that if you force a situation because it puts your story on the path you want, will make the story feel forced. It's the best way to lose the audience. A writer may have a great ending in mind for a book or character but when that time comes, the actions of the character may call for a different ending than originally planned. And you have to be okay with that. When a writer writes, the characters within the story have their own background & history that form who they are and how they act. If you don't follow what the character wants to do or type what the character would say, the character will feel generic, read boring, and cause the story to fall flat. It's okay to not end the scene the exact way you thought it would end, It's okay to change the ending of a story because the characters took it a different way. But that's the thing about people nowadays. Here's where I get real. People want things to go their way. Every time, all the time. It's not a certain age group. I'm not picking on Millenials, Xenials, Gen Xers, or Boomers. It some people in all those groups. The ones who think they can never be wrong. The ones who don't read the fine print on coupon ads then argue with the 16-year-old kid making just above minimum wage till they get to use the coupon on something that clearly doesn't work. Or (and yes this happened) the lady who saw a sale on oranges but not for the brand oranges she wanted so she argues with the cashier, holding up the line, till I decide to loudly call her out in the middle of the grocery store and the manager has to come over. So here's what I am saying. don't force things. In life or in writing, don't force things. Just because you want to be right doesn't mean you always will be. Yes, that includes me. You have to be okay when you are wrong. You have to know the difference between a subjective point of view and an objective appreciation of things. Example for anyone who thinks they understand. I know a kid, (20 or 21 maybe) who anytime he hears me listening to music that isn't mainstream calls my music crap and outdated. But he only listens to mass-produced, popular music. What he doesn't understand is what he calls crap is David Bowie, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Beethoven, musicians that are objectively great based on technical ability, music theory application, originality, contribution to the field of music, etc. While you might not enjoy the sounds these people produced, to refuse to acknowledge that is ignorance in action. So when I try to educate him he cuts me off and forces the conversation to try to get me to say that his music is the only good music. I know this is an example that others have experienced which is what makes it a good one. He's not wrong from a subjective standpoint. He only likes one style of music. But his inability to argue anything from an objective view is what makes the conversation forced, and flat. He, in this instance, is a flat character that the writer is forcing into a direction to accomplish a goal. It doesn't play well and adds nothing to the story of music. But that's what I mean. He just wants so bad to be right about the music that he doesn't realize the objectivity of the situation. Be willing to be wrong about life and where you want it to go. Be willing to acknowledge when you are wrong and figure out how to be right. Be willing to change what you think is concrete. Be willing to change and adapt to the situations around you. No one is perfect and no one expects you to be (despite what you may think) but more than anything, be willing to change your story to fit the characters, be willing to change where you think your life and your story is going. But most importantly, be willing to change.