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mary rosenblum
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Hello all!
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mary rosenblum
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Welcome to our Tuesday Forum.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about character goals and motivations. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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Speck requested the topic
today, and it's a good one...
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mary rosenblum
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that is really critical in
novel lenght works, and will go a LONG way to getting you out of the slush
pile...
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mary rosenblum
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and in front of the editors'
eyes if you apply it to short fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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It's an essential part of
characterization, and something I have to know thoroughly before I can even
write the first draft...
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mary rosenblum
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I've just finished this stage
with a novelette I have to turn in by June, and I've been going through
this stage with my current novel project...
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mary rosenblum
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and finally had the
breakthrough I needed last night, so this is a timely topic. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The motivation of your
character and your characters goals...
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mary rosenblum
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are what drive that character
into your story in the first place and what gives your character a sense of
'real' to your readers.
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mary rosenblum
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Most novice writers have a
great plot and they come up with characters who appeal to them..
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mary rosenblum
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and the characters spend the
story reacting to the plot...
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mary rosenblum
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they only exist to react to
the plot...they have no lives other than that page and that plot.
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mary rosenblum
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And readers know this...it's
quite obvious...and that character is nothing more than a cardboard cutout.
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mary rosenblum
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While real people get into
trouble, deal with personal crises, have to run from muggers, or what have
you...
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mary rosenblum
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that had a life before that
event and, assuming they survive the problem, will have a life AFTER the
event.
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mary rosenblum
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That event is only one event
in a lifetime of events.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the effect you need to
create with your characters.
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mary rosenblum
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And this is why you spend time
thinking about who your character is...it is the MAIN reason to invent a
real life for your character.
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mary rosenblum
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Essentially, story is driven
by two conflicts...and external conflict and an internal conflict.
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mary rosenblum
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The external conflict might be
a family feud, an attacking army, a plane crash that strands your MC in the
wilderness...
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mary rosenblum
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It is an outside problem that
your MC must deal with in order to succeed.
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mary rosenblum
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The internal conflict can be
more subtle, although it can be the dominant conflict in some stories.
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mary rosenblum
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The internal conflict is a
weakness, a flaw, or a problem that lies within your character...
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mary rosenblum
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and needs to be fixed in order
for that character to be a successful person.
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mary rosenblum
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Think of it in terms of
'something is broken and it needs to be fixed'.
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mary rosenblum
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As the story reaches its
climax and resolution, that 'broken' aspect of your character may be fixed
by events of the external conflict...
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mary rosenblum
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or it may be a fatal flaw that
is never fixed and we know the character is ultimately doomed. (that's a
downbeat end...it can work, but it's hard to pull off)
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mary rosenblum
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Most of the time, the
character's internal problem is fixed...and that does not at all mean you
have to stick a 'happily ever after' end on your story!
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mary rosenblum
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But if your character, say, is
a young man who has learned that he cannot afford to ever trust anyone...
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mary rosenblum
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and by the end of the story
has, for the first time, dared to trust someone in the course of the
story..
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mary rosenblum
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we readers know that he has at
least taken a first step toward healing that flaw...
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mary rosenblum
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and that he has a good chance
of doing so later on.
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mary rosenblum
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So in this story, as our MC,
our untrusting one, battles the plot-problems, whatever they are...
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mary rosenblum
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we know that what he really
needs here is to allow himself to trust someone in the story...
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mary rosenblum
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And these goals and
motivations are rarely something that your MC is aware of...
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mary rosenblum
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but the READER is aware of
them.
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canyon
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So you map out all the stories'
characters attributes, personality, and whats going on w/ the behind the
scenes, before even starting writing?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, goodness, no! I'd take a
century to write a first draft! LOL
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mary rosenblum
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The only one that's really
critcal is your POV character or characters. You really DO need to know
what drives them through life.
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mary rosenblum
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And what is 'broken' in them.
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mary rosenblum
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Everyone else...all your
secondaries will evolve as you use them.
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mary rosenblum
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The more you know about them,
the better, but you don't need that degree of depth.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about character goals and motivations. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question
icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You
can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to
reach me.
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tory
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Mary: Have a character who is
suffering from post-traumatic stress--obsessing over safety, trouble making
decisions, etc. To show, not tell that this is an on-goiing issue, I need
to place her in a variety of scenes.
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tory
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...However, two readers said
"Enough, already. I get that she's scared." But it goes beyond
scared. They want me to cut soem scenes. Any hints for showing this type of
issue without making readers feel too uncomfortable with it?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, tory, what I'm guessing
from what you posted here is that you were more successful than you thought
with your 'stress' scenes.
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mary rosenblum
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And your readers felt that you
were beating them over the head with 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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Usually, if I want to reveal a
character's particular attribute, be it PTSD or schizophrenia, or high
intelligence or what have you....
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mary rosenblum
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I'll craft a single scene that
does so, and then it's simply background...
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mary rosenblum
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I'll allude to it with the
occasional interaction, detail, conversation or what have you...
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mary rosenblum
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but I have made the condition
clear the first time.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd do that here.
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mary rosenblum
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Craft a scene where her PTSD
really brings things crashing down in some way...
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mary rosenblum
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and after that, she might
battle the occasional problem in scenes, but it should not take center
stage all the time...your main plot needs to do that.
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mary rosenblum
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If your MC is so crippled by
PTSD that her fears and obsessions will constantly dominate your plot, then
I'd get another MC, myself.
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rosedak
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Is it necessary to
"show" the internal conflict with a scene speciffically written
for that purpose or can it b effective to use the characters reactions to
the situation to illuminate an internal conflict?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, a very effective way to
show internal conflict is through the character's reactions to situations,
through conversations, and through glimpses of body language.
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mary rosenblum
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Long, internal monologues
about the condition on the part of the POV are pretty dull, most of the
time.
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mary rosenblum
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If your character, say, has an
agoraphobia problem, but is a PI, we can see that MC halt as he has to
follow a perp across a huge open plaza..
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mary rosenblum
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we see him clutch a lamp post,
eyes closed, breathing deeply, trying not to hyperventilate. We might catch
his thought...'Okay, get a grip' and then he marches...
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mary rosenblum
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grim faced, across the plaza.
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mary rosenblum
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If you have already
established his agoraphobia (fear of open spaces)...
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mary rosenblum
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then we see interpret his
struggle with his own fear just fine.
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mary rosenblum
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WE don't need a long internal
monologue about 'All right, I'm scared, but I have to follow this guy
across here, take a deep breath now, don't hyperventilate, just look down....
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mary rosenblum
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That sort of thing.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about character goals and motivations. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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janecj333
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Characters with deep emotional
problems do things that feel rational to them, but look weird to everyone
else. Don't you think these actions can be used as a subtle way to
communicate with the reader, rather than telling us how she 'feels' in
every situation?
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mary rosenblum
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Taht's my point. You really
really want to avoid telling the reader how someone feels if at all
possible.
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mary rosenblum
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That is not how it happens in
real life.
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mary rosenblum
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IT is your task, as writer, to
have your character say and do things that give the reader sufficient clues
about what is going on inside so that we don't need a lot of 'I'm thinking
about my problems now...' thoughts.
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canyon
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Is using real people (i.e.
celebrities,politicians,Foreign dictators) Interacting in your fictional
background allowed. Because I read a Koontz book where main character had
conversations w/ Church hill and Hitler. Are there guidelines to adhere by
in doing this.?
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mary rosenblum
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Don't libel. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You can use public figures in
your fiction as long as you don't actually have them doing or saying
something libelous.
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mary rosenblum
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You can use real people from
your family or neighborhood with the same restrictions....they may not be
your friends afterward...
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mary rosenblum
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and I personally think that is
unethical, but some writers do it.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about character goals and motivations. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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A good place to begin finding
your character's motivations and needs is to take that character completely
away from your plot.
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mary rosenblum
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If your plot never
happened...what would this character be doing with his/her life and why?
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telcontar
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Why unethical? if you can use
public figures, why not neighbors?
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mary rosenblum
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This is my personal feeling,
tel. Being put up on stage in a public setting is very revealing...
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mary rosenblum
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and you have no control over
who sees that person and what conclusions they draw.
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mary rosenblum
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I do not think it's an
appropriate thing to do, even if it is technically legal.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if few people know that
this character is that person, the person will feel that thousands have
read this and passed judgement.
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mary rosenblum
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I personally have known two
writers who used this to seriously wound someone...very intentionally.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if you don't MEAN to
wound them, it can be very unsettling to see yourself through someone
else's eyes and realize lots of other people will see you that way, too.
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mary rosenblum
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I advise you not to do it.
Make up a composite character.
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mary rosenblum
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And by the way, the two
writers have really lost my respect.
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canyon
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A Clive Barker novel Im on now,
the MC is a hot Hollywood star. In this he had Sigourney Weaver regarding
her fans w/ disdain. Is that considered libel?
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mary rosenblum
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Libel, legally, is when
someone's reputation or career is damaged by the written material.
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mary rosenblum
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That does not stop the person
from suing you. Just means thats what it takes to win.
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jyinxy
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- what about using a scene
involving God? I am writing a prolog about a book on paganism and trying to
show the "eight day" is this a bad idea?
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jyinxy
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it deals with Lucifer's fall -
and involves the "goddess aspect"
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mary rosenblum
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LOL, it will probably get you
in trouble with some Christians, but at least it's not a cartoon of
Mohammad!
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mary rosenblum
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You CAN evoke a religious
backlash...look at Salmon Rushdie...he had people trying to kill him.
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mary rosenblum
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Step on religion's toes at
your own risk. :-)
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telcontar
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I think God can prolly take care
of Himself...
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mary rosenblum
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If you don't get struck by
lightning, you probably didn't offend. :-)
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geezer
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In our neighborhood newsletter,
the editor praised a person for doing a good deed. That person's neighbor
thought ot was a slam on him. So, now there is warfare between the
neighbors on that street.
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mary rosenblum
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And there you go. I have
problems with my mysteries that are set in real places...
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mary rosenblum
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where local people think
someone is a 'real person'. Sigh.
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mary rosenblum
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Give yourself some time with
your character out of the context of your plot.
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mary rosenblum
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What does this person want to
do with his/her life?
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mary rosenblum
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Why?
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mary rosenblum
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What in that person's life is
'broken'?
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mary rosenblum
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What needs to be fixed and how
does that drive this character?
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mary rosenblum
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Your character might be
someone who grew up dirt poor and is driven to escape that forever...
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mary rosenblum
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and it might be a need that
he'll never fulfill...the lovely house, new car, solid bank account...
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mary rosenblum
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isn't really defense enough
against that specter of poverty...
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mary rosenblum
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and he'll never really be able
to relax and enjoy what he has because he's too busy...
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mary rosenblum
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earning more money so that he
won't lose what he has (and isn't enjoying).
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mary rosenblum
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He's driven by that fear of
poverty. He might end up a tycoon, but that specter lurks at the back of
his brain...
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mary rosenblum
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even though he couldn't lose
all he has if he tried, he's so rich.
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mary rosenblum
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And he's probably not even
aware of what drives him.
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mary rosenblum
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But it does.
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mary rosenblum
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And aha..now we use that
'broken bit'...that driving specter of poverty...to create the character
conflict in the story.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can create a situation
where our MC for even a short time, puts someone else above that need to
earn money and safeguard his wealth...
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mary rosenblum
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we'll know that there's hope
for him to come to terms with this and maybe enjoy his life one day.
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mary rosenblum
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It doens't have to happen all
at once in this story...but that first step is enough.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about character goals and motivations. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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speckledorf
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How do we know that "broken
bit" is big enough or strong enough to carry throughout a story or
even a novel?
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mary rosenblum
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Big is up to you, speck.
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mary rosenblum
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It's the same answer when I
get asked 'is this a big enough plot to make a good book?"
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mary rosenblum
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It is if you MAKE it big
enough.
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mary rosenblum
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If it is important enough to
the character to influence his/her choices in life, it's big enough.
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mary rosenblum
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If a girl grew up in a
household with a marginally abusive father and a mom who felt that she had
no other options...
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mary rosenblum
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our MC may be really really
abitious in business...
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mary rosenblum
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she wants power, she wants
control, she wants to make sure she never ever has to feel that she is
stuck depending on someone else...
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mary rosenblum
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and that may really mess up
her relationship with men. I"m only going to let you get so close and
no farther...I might get trapped like Mom.
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mary rosenblum
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That would be a strong
motivator for her, would work nicely in a romance story...
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mary rosenblum
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where she might find that she
can get beyond this 'no closer!' fear.
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mary rosenblum
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What makes it difficult for
novice writers is the fact that you can't just give us an example and
forget about it from then on.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember...if it is
influencing your characters' actions all their lives...it's influecing them
during your story!
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mary rosenblum
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You have to ask yourself at
every interaction, every scene...what would my chacter really do/say here?
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canyon
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Im developing a story that has a
traveling carnival as a backdrop. Should I do a study on the personas and
overall lifestyle of people involved in this business?
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mary rosenblum
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I would study them so that you
get the real details right, canyon. Carnival life behind the public facade
is very interesting. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And not what the public might
expect.
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mary rosenblum
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Then you need to decide why
your character has chosen this line of work...
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mary rosenblum
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It's not enough to say 'just
because'.
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mary rosenblum
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Just because WHY?
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mary rosenblum
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Why not a plumber?
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mary rosenblum
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Why not an attorney?
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mary rosenblum
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Why not a clerk at Wal Mart?
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mary rosenblum
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My own general rule of thumb
is that until I can answer that why, I'm not ready to write this. :-)
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speckledorf
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So Cande, my half Hispanic cop
could be driven to solve every case in order to prove she is as good as or
better than other cops. Stemming from teasing in her childhood?
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mary rosenblum
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Probably deeper than that,
speck. Always go as deep as you can. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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What if Dad never paid much
attention to her successes? She's a girl. He had sons. 'That's nice honey'.
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mary rosenblum
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She is going to by golly be
better than anybody else!
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mary rosenblum
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Especially these guy cops!
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speckledorf
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Grandpa didn't like her mexican
dad:--)
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mary rosenblum
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There you go...you're all set.
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mary rosenblum
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Grandpa is the patriarch of
the family. Dad was less than desirable and his kid is tainted by his
blood. She's gonna show Grandpa all right.
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mary rosenblum
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To be honest, a lot of what
drives real people...and thus characters...comes out of family dynamics.
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mary rosenblum
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It doesn't hurt to do some
basic reading in pschology if you're not the analytical type. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Human motivations are complex
and multi-layered an not at all obvious!
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canyon
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Are there any reserach tools you
could reccomend to get better insight on carnies?
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mary rosenblum
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I'd start with google and look
for personal narratives. Watch your time, though. Carnie life has changed
some over the decades.
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mary rosenblum
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The best way, really, is to
get a job at your local county fair, carnival, and work the rides.
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mary rosenblum
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They hire minimum wage
roustabouts for that.
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mary rosenblum
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The best way to see the 'back
side' of a carnival is to work there.
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mary rosenblum
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That's what sold my first
story, by the way. It was a magic realism fantasy set in a carnival. :-)
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jyinxy
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be like an actor studying a
role?
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mary rosenblum
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If you can do it, it's worth
it...experience will give you insights that connect to your characters...
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mary rosenblum
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but you can't do everything!
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mary rosenblum
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Good details from secondary
sources can seem very real.
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mary rosenblum
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Just don't rely on a single
source.
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geezer
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My MC is a man's man. Has to be
to survive. The opposite end of this personality is that he tends to
believe in male superiority. My reader was so upset about that that she
said she wanted to throw it in the trash!!!! Alas!
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mary rosenblum
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Well, if you create a
character that is unlikeable to a reader they won't read your story. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You have the choice of saying
'too bad' to those readers or giving your 'unlikeable' character something
readers can admire...
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mary rosenblum
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and respect even if they don't
like the MC.
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mary rosenblum
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It is not easy.
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xana
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Which is probably why some
fiction is rarely read by the other sex
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, but that says something
about what the writer is doing.
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mary rosenblum
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Those writers have simply said
'too bad' and have written for one gender or the other.
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geezer
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He's a wonderful man. Snif.
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, to YOU. How do you make
him wonderful to readers who don't like superior males ? There's a
challenge for you geezer...
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mary rosenblum
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your character should be more
than just that trait.
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mary rosenblum
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I have some good friends who
are old dyed in the wool Men Rule cowboy types...
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mary rosenblum
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and you know what? They're
good people. I won't talk politics or social issues with 'em that's for
sure...
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mary rosenblum
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and we sure don't talk gender
issues...but I like them for other reasons and respect 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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Give your character those
other reasons for readers to like him.
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mary rosenblum
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He may simply be too 'thin',
too much a 'one issue character'.
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canyon
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I did watch a Docu on a modern
day travelling show that gave some insight. But I believe its not
sufficient.
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mary rosenblum
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actually, canyon, if traveling
carnies do set up in your neck of the woods, you can probably...
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mary rosenblum
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find someone who will show you
around after hours. Buy that person a nice dinner, get him/her talking, and
take LOTS of notes.
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canyon
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For instance a woman wouldnt be
found read Tom Clancey ?
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mary rosenblum
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Goodness, why not? I read Tom
Clancy. :-) Many women do.
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xana
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How many men read romance and
how many women war stories or westerns?
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mary rosenblum
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Well,I think romance for the
most part is written with a strong gender slant...it's not meant to have
characters that appeal to many men.
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mary rosenblum
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But lots of women read
westerns! LOL I was a Louis Lamour fan as a kid.
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telcontar
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sounds like my family... though
my brothers are very selective on their romances...
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mary rosenblum
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I suspect that more men
actually read romances than admit they read romances, LOL.
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janecj333
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so maybe the same motivations
used in fiction are based on how people view reality; many, it seems, are
wounded by a trivial event (usu in childhood), unable to mature beyond the
moment of wounding, and justify all they do because of perceived slights
and hurts
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mary rosenblum
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Well, the event is no usually
trivial, even if it might seem so on the surface, jane.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a good idea to understand
what really went on if you're going to have a character damaged by a single
event.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about character goals and motivations. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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curseofthe44
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We are not supposed to use
"stereotype" characters, but I have a story that a sterotype fits
perfectly to. Should I try something else, or go with it and see how it
goes?
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mary rosenblum
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I'm not sure what you mean by
stereotype, curse.
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mary rosenblum
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A stereotype is a 'one trait
character' where that character has no depth, just a quickly-understood
personality.
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mary rosenblum
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The hooker with the heart of
gold.
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mary rosenblum
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The tough cop.
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mary rosenblum
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The redneck Sheriff.
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mary rosenblum
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And that's all these
characters are.
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mary rosenblum
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They have no history, no
personality beyond our expectations.
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speckledorf
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When dealing with multiple
characters in the same story...should they have conflicting "broken
bits"?
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mary rosenblum
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I would worry only about your
POV characters, speck.
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mary rosenblum
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You can imply a problem with a
peripheral character, but I wouldn't spend the time to explore it deeply...
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mary rosenblum
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if this is not a main
character.
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mary rosenblum
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You can bog down your dramatic
arc that way.
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curseofthe44
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Well, along those lines, but I
was thinking more of a character that everyone has seen over and over...
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mary rosenblum
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But if your character has
depth, then this character is unique. He is not the character we have seen
over and over/
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mary rosenblum
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et
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mary rosenblum
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Let's take the redneck
Sheriff...
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mary rosenblum
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At first glance, he seems
classic.
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mary rosenblum
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Uses 'boy' in nearly every
sentence as he talks to our black FBI agent...
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mary rosenblum
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and they're instantly
antagonistic...
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mary rosenblum
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and as the story goes on, we
get to know more about him, his past,...
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mary rosenblum
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and the roots of his racial
bias, and by the end, the two men respect each other...
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mary rosenblum
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and our Sheriff hasn't changed
his prejudices completely, but he's a bit more open...
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mary rosenblum
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and we have found qualities in
him we respect. He's not perfect, but he's a real person.
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mary rosenblum
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And we still don't like him a
lot, but we understand his behavior a bit more...
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mary rosenblum
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and can respect him.
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mary rosenblum
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That is not a stereotype.
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canyon
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The redneck sheriff is used in
all rural horror stories .
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mary rosenblum
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Yep, and they're all as thin
as paper and utterly predictable, canyon.
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mary rosenblum
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You can do a POWERFUL story by
seizing a stereotype and turning it into a real person.
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curseofthe44
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A thief who must make that one
more big heist...but not for money; for something much bigger.
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mary rosenblum
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There you go.
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mary rosenblum
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We may not believe that theft
is a good thing, but we begin to understand why this person has chosen this
path of life...
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mary rosenblum
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and find him a person we can
care about even if we don't approve.
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xana
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It seems that readers LIKE
stereotypes for minor characters, at least, or these stories wouldn't be
published.
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mary rosenblum
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Xana it is a sad fact that
publication does not always imply high quality.
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mary rosenblum
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Publishers publish what sells,
and there are some really BAD books on the shelves out there, alas.
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mary rosenblum
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But when you are talking about
minor characters..spear carriers...you can't take the time to develop these
characters deeply...
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mary rosenblum
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so you give them a reconizable
self and let 'em go at that.
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mary rosenblum
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I might have a young soldier
in a story. We're only going to meet him once or maybe twice.
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mary rosenblum
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Maybe he'll die in battle.
He's a Young Soldier.
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mary rosenblum
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But I'll try to give him his
own human attribute. Maybe we see him feeding a scrawny stray cat form his
rations...
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mary rosenblum
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the night before a battle.
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mary rosenblum
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That gives him a bit of
humanity beyond Young Soldier.
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canyon
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It seems a lot of the classic
authors of centuries past relied very heavily on sterotypes.
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mary rosenblum
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They CREATED some of the
stereotypes, canyon. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about character goals and motivations. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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The main thing to ask yourself
is this...if my character wasn't involved with my story, what would that
character do with his/her life and why?
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carrottop writer
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An author I heard at a writers
conference recommended
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carrottop writer
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that the main character have a
trait to get him/her into
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carrottop writer
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trouble and a trait to him/her
out of trouble.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, your characters' needs
and motivations should be part of what gets them into..and out
of...trouble.
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mary rosenblum
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Take your driven executive.
His need to make money should tie into how he ends up involved in the
external plot...
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mary rosenblum
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And his ability to put
something else above that need at least resolves the internal conflict...he
will be able to enjoy what he has...but ideally, it will also help him
resolve the external conflict.
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mary rosenblum
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This is why you want to think
this through BEFORE you start writing.
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mary rosenblum
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You have a very powerful story
when the external and internal conflicts resolve together.
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mary rosenblum
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I want my MC's internal
problems to drive her or him into my story and help force him/her to the
climax and resolution.
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mary rosenblum
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I want them to work together,
not be separate entities.
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canyon
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Is to create scenarios that is
seemingly impossible for your character to escape make a more interesting
story?
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mary rosenblum
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Of course. :-) That's drama.
Or melodrama if you go a bit too far!
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mary rosenblum
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You don't HAVE to do that, but
it's the raw material of thrillers, horror stories, and the like.
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mary rosenblum
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But many powerful stories are
driven by character conflicts, with no threat of bodily harm whatsoever.
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mary rosenblum
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Even then, even when your
character is being chased by lions...know why that character ended up here.
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mary rosenblum
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Know what that character would
do with his/her life if the lions hadn't come along.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, this has been a fun
Oregon hour.
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mary rosenblum
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I can't say enough about
characters and characterization...
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mary rosenblum
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The stronger and more real
your characters are, the more likely you are to start selling your fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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Very few stories in the
'novice' slush pile have real characters.
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mary rosenblum
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It is hard to do.
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mary rosenblum
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When I finally began to put
real characters into my stories, I began to sell them.
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mary rosenblum
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They really are worth the
work.
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcript of
this in the usual place...Writing Craft: Forum Transcripts.
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janecj333
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Most people in real life are
trying to protect the status quo, keep change from happening, keep on
eating pretzels and beer in front of the tv
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mary rosenblum
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That's quite true. And that's
what makes characters who are not like that so powerful .
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mary rosenblum
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We like to read about what we
don't want to do ourselves. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Thanks for coming, all. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Do join us tomorrow, right
here, for our casual chat
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mary rosenblum
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No topic...we just talk about
writing, the weather, what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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Have a good day !
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