after a certain level of development my characters simply write themselves in a way, is that not normal??
It depends on the level of agency they seem to have. I can’t make that call for you, we’re not in anybody else’s head.
All I can tell you is that most authors are in control of their characters, and making conscious decisions about what actions they take in their writing at all times.
If you make a decision on a character’s behalf contrary to what you feel they would do when they “simply write themselves” and feel some kind of distress or pushback from that character, as if you were forcing them to do something against their will, that is an abnormal level of agency for a character in your mind to have.
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