Creator Obsessive Disorder: How To Spot It!

So anyway, years ago I created a character that was supposed be killed off after about 5 pages. Her name was Sara, and she was supposed to be brutally murdered by her Slaver owners in front of a terrified Rona who had been thrown back in time to the eve of the American Civil War.

Except she, Sara, wouldn't let me.

So I expanded her story, though still planned for her to either die or simply be left behind at the end of the story.

Except she made me rewrite the end so that not only did she survive, she became a leading character in my mad multiverse of leading ladies.

I then changed her appearance, made her more athletic looking in the LDA as, after all, anyone training as hard as she did wouldn't retain that soft curve that Sara originally had. Except Sara, original Sara, wouldn't be consigned to just flashbacks. So she became a remnant and Prime, with a mission to protect a human writer & artist (!) who had become a Prime but didn't understand. (A Prime is someone who understands there is a multiverse and has some bearing on how the multiverse behaves).

The story was TIMESTORM (graphic novel out soon) and the lady in question is Sara Kalu. Now, you can read all about Sara HERE but the purpose of this post is to talk about a condition that affects many creators but we don't talk about it enough. (I am of course not being serious, but read on anyway).

It's called COD, or Creator Obsessive Disorder.

COD is when a writer or artist falls in love with one of their own creations.

Symptoms of COD

1. You keep changing the terms of your creation's existence

2. You find you have to have her/him in character all the time.

3. You will create entire universes and bend continuity to the limit so they can continue to exist.

4. You dream/fantasise about them constantly.

5. You have conversations with them in your head.

If you have any of these symptoms, the chances are you are developing COD. If you have 3 or more, you already have it.

So, what can you do if you discover your have COD?

Absolutely nothing. I'm afraid we are a lost cause, so simply buckle in, strap up and just enjoy the ride.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go speak to Sara and ask her to get dressed as she's proving too much of a distraction for me to work...

See ya!