Why it's okay for your characters to act out of character PLUS contest

Most writers have their own method for really knowing their characters inside and out before they begin writing. Some write pages of backstory, most of which never make it into the final draft. Others answer random questions about their character such as favorite music, flavor of ice cream, etc. We do these things so that each character is unique and has their own personality -- and so there is consistency in how they act. Yet sometimes it's okay for your character to act "out of character."

Why? Because that's how real people are. They surprise you sometimes. Here's a real life example from my vacation last week. I know my 5-year-old son inside and out -- I've spent most of every day with him for the last five years which is way longer than I've spent with any of my fictional characters. So when my 2-year old (now 3-yo) daughter popped his precious light saber balloon, I could've placed money on how my Star Wars/light saber obsessed son would react based on his 'character.' It would involve tears and screaming that his light saber was ruined, followed by pointing his finger in his little sister's face, saying "Kyra, you're mean!" That's pretty much how he reacts every single time she commits some perceived injustice.

But I wouldn't have been right this time. As my husband was telling our son he was sorry for letting Kyra play with his light saber, Caleb held up his hand and said verbatim: "Dad, don't apologize (yes, he used the word apologize). It's not your fault and it's not Kyra's fault. Sometimes, balloons just pop. It's okay." I stared at him a moment wondering if at some point in California, he'd been abducted by aliens and replaced by a pod person. NOTE: This concern was alleviated the next day when he pointed his finger in Kyra's face and told her she was mean. I think Kyra was relieved as well, as her daily goal is to make him upset enough to do this to her.

The point here is that while it's important to know your characters, it's okay to make them human too. Let them surprise you once in a while. It keeps things interesting. Have your characters surprised you or stepped out of line with their 'personality' while writing?  Were you okay with this or did you feel the need to fix it to get them back in line?

CONTEST NEWS: The very cool Moonrat is hosting a contest over at Editorial Ass to celebrate her 500,000th visitor AND she's offering a 20-page critique to the winner! It closes tomorrow 3/31 at 11pm EST so hurry the heck up already.