Panel Discussion up at Two Ends of the Pen

I'm on this week's panel at Two Ends of the Pen. The question this time is what you should do if your character wants to take you where you don't want to go.

I read the question a little differently, I think. When you say "a place you don't want to go" I assume an emotional place, not just a hijacking of the plotline. (Although they are related.) Sometimes a character has a darker past or a more difficult time with life than is right for the story. How do you handle that?

I may talk more about that in conjunction with the W.I.P. with tonight's post.