tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post5655211016281717778..comments2023-12-26T09:58:45.306-06:00Comments on Writer Musings: Putting Characters Through the WringerTabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-76697429533259948432008-06-24T11:34:00.000-05:002008-06-24T11:34:00.000-05:00Exactly. We've also created unrealistic character...Exactly. We've also created unrealistic characters, because nobody's perfect. Hence, no one can relate to someone who's perfect and they probably won't like the story. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-89705846651619336732008-06-24T11:25:00.000-05:002008-06-24T11:25:00.000-05:00I sometimes wonder if this desire to "protect your...I sometimes wonder if this desire to "protect your character" extends to characterization as well. The most interesting characters have flaws, after all, and when we make a character "perfect" we have really shortchanged the story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-7173639691627551872008-06-23T14:48:00.000-05:002008-06-23T14:48:00.000-05:00Thanks! And great to see a fellow blueboarder! :...Thanks! And great to see a fellow blueboarder! :)<BR/><BR/>Sorry it took me so long to respond...just got over a horrid stomach flu.Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-34757936862752219532008-06-19T23:52:00.000-05:002008-06-19T23:52:00.000-05:00I guess that means I love them...in a bizzare, twi...<I>I guess that means I love them...in a bizzare, twisted way.</I> <BR/>We writers are an odd lot. ;-)<BR/><BR/>Great post. Thanks! <BR/><BR/>Shari, from the blueboards<BR/>http://www.sharigreen.comShari Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12495151345889657066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-80229297558963373362008-06-18T17:49:00.000-05:002008-06-18T17:49:00.000-05:00I definitely agree about Harry Potter. I think I'...I definitely agree about Harry Potter. <BR/><BR/>I think I've read the same thing about great writers, and I always wondered just *how* troubled their childhoods were. Probably ten times worse than mine. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-46325197982329446462008-06-18T12:09:00.000-05:002008-06-18T12:09:00.000-05:00I completely agree with you: an insipid character ...I completely agree with you: an insipid character whose life is easy and pleasant is not someone you feel much sympathy for. This is one of the reasons Harry Potter caught on so well: automatically, you are going to care about a kid who is treated so badly but still manages to keep his spirits up. <BR/><BR/>I remember reading that all great writers with no notable exceptions have had difficult childhoods or adolescence. There is something about triumphing over suffering that gives one's writing depth, so it only stands to reason that it makes for a more sympathetic, compelling protagonist as well.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-24090333515698960422008-06-18T12:04:00.000-05:002008-06-18T12:04:00.000-05:00Beth - yep yep yep. Readers aren't interested in ...Beth - yep yep yep. Readers aren't interested in every day type of things. They want to read about things that they hope never happens to themselves, which means taking things to the extreme. :)<BR/><BR/>Bish - hard times most definitely make us strong. That which does not kill us, makes us stronger. :) There's no reason that can't apply to fictional characters as well. :)<BR/><BR/>Angela - exactamundo. Too much of one thing can ruin your taste for it. I did that with shrimp once...it wasn't pretty. X(Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-76530689663999156692008-06-18T11:43:00.000-05:002008-06-18T11:43:00.000-05:00It's okay to make your characters suffer. Repeat a...It's okay to make your characters suffer. Repeat after me: suffering is good!<BR/><BR/>*jabs cattle prod at characters* <BR/><BR/>Dance, Sweetlings! Dance for Momma!<BR/><BR/>Ahem.<BR/><BR/>It is important to note that some people can go overboard with the suffering/throwing abstacles at their characters. Too much and you get an unrealistic circumstance that hollows your plot and the character arc...unless the arc is to show them as a blubbering basketcase by the end of the book.<BR/><BR/>Like anything, balance is the key. Make the complications count--quality over quantity and all that.Angela Ackermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808259088625142389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-3604640042048194422008-06-18T11:05:00.000-05:002008-06-18T11:05:00.000-05:00Good stuff. We all need to be reminded that it's t...Good stuff. We all need to be reminded that it's the hard times that make us strong.Bish Denhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13359927719391990534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-65217068598239769932008-06-18T10:37:00.000-05:002008-06-18T10:37:00.000-05:00I absolutely agree: make life miserable for your ...I absolutely agree: make life miserable for your characters. A book NEEDS extreme situations!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431700962951592287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-70209053742370314092008-06-17T17:51:00.000-05:002008-06-17T17:51:00.000-05:00Exactly. I think real conflict is harder to recog...Exactly. I think real conflict is harder to recognize than most writers think, for the reason you just mentioned. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-82717364441459023732008-06-17T16:58:00.000-05:002008-06-17T16:58:00.000-05:00This is a not uncommon flaw in writers (and one I ...This is a not uncommon flaw in writers (and one I have to watch out for myself); one of my teachers called it "protecting your character." But without conflict, there's no story.Jennifer R. Hubbardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03408588432492354248noreply@blogger.com