When Characters Don’t Stop Talking: Part 1—I Had a Plan. Shawn Had Other Ideas.

I didn’t set out to write Megan’s story. I set out to write Shawn’s.

But I didn’t think the world was ready to hear his version of events—not in his voice. Not without pulling punches. So, I forced myself to start somewhere safer. With Megan.

She became the buffer—her confusion, her slow understanding, her heartbreak as she begins to see what’s happening to the boy in front of her.

It worked. For a while.

But Shawn never left. Even when I tried to keep the focus on Megan, he stayed behind the curtain—pacing, waiting, pushing.

I didn’t invent him. I uncovered him. Bit by bit. Scene by scene. And once I started listening, I couldn’t go back.

Megan became the door—and Shawn kicked it open.

He wouldn’t stay quiet. He stopped waiting politely for permission. He didn’t ask to be the center. He just kept showing up in the margins, demanding space.

So, I gave it to him.

I started writing his journal. Not for readers. Not for publication. For me. To keep up with the voice that wouldn’t let go.

Some of those entries will never be seen.

Some are about as readable as an open wound.

They’re raw, unfiltered, painfully honest.

He’s done waiting.

He wants the story told his way—on his terms.

So if you’re asking, “Who would write something like this?”

You’re asking the wrong question.

He’s ready now.

And I’m not getting in his way.

Why this matters:

Because some stories don’t come gently. Because some voices won’t stay quiet.

Because what’s been done to boys like Shawn too often stays hidden—and that’s exactly how the people who do it want it.

I had a plan.

But Shawn had other ideas.

And I’m glad he did. Shawn has a lot to say.

He takes over here