McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Opinions requested
meg_evonne:
--- Quote from: belial.1980 on August 11, 2009, 12:13:46 AM ---I recommend taking a different route and marking the character less adept than either species, but more versatile since he's got the abilities of both.
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This is really a neat idea belial. May I hope you are working on a character like this? Or a villian-- My mind is popping with ideas. Wile Coyote's determination and engineering skills genetically mixed with the Road Runner. Only it comes out as unable to light a match and no speed--only an obnoxious 'beep beep' as protection. maybe let some of the 'luck' of the road runner come through. What fun to drop that character into a quagmire and see what happens.
But, I think what belial mentioned is what agents are looking for, that twist from the norm, that strange sidestep that makes the reader go, "wow, never thought of that"
Now, if only my mind worked like belial's did on all aspects of my writing...
I've heard more than one published author say, "You can't take your first, your second, or your third idea--but your 10th or 12th or 20th idea."
KINCAID ex cursori:
DITTO belial & meg
belial.1980:
--- Quote from: meg_evonne on August 11, 2009, 07:15:07 PM ---
Now, if only my mind worked like belial's did on all aspects of my writing...
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Oh, trust me. You don't want that, heh heh. ;)
Haven't thought up a hybrid oddball yet, but it could be fun. I'll add it to my big ole stack of ideas. I totally agree on the progression of ideas you mentioned. I think as you practice writing (and reading critically) you get more ideas, better ideas, and you get better at developing them.
thausgt:
--- Quote from: belial.1980 on August 12, 2009, 03:01:21 AM ---Oh, trust me. You don't want that, heh heh. ;)
Haven't thought up a hybrid oddball yet, but it could be fun. I'll add it to my big ole stack of ideas. I totally agree on the progression of ideas you mentioned. I think as you practice writing (and reading critically) you get more ideas, better ideas, and you get better at developing them.
--- End quote ---
Right. If your writing style and psychology will allow it, you might even consider working with what Joss Whedon calls "the stuff behind the stuff".
What would a hybrid wizard-slash-shapeshifter, as a character, symbolize? Do his limitations symbolize anything?
Slightly less literary-critic questions: If he lives in a world that is hidden behind the mundane reality we all see outside our windows, what kind of life does he have in the non-supernatural world? If he has none, why not? If he lives in a completely different reality, what (if anything) links it to the aforementioned mundane world? Who are his friends? Why do they hang around with him? Who are his specific enemies (as opposed to cultural and ideological opposition to his existence)? Has he done anything to these specific enemies to earn the enmity? What can he do without his powers? Does he have any hobbies? What does he look like? What kind of clothes does he wear?
I'll freely admit to dropping the ball on those last two myself in a lot of my writing; my viewpoint characters forget to describe themselves but will build up very clear pictures of everyone else in the story...
Paynesgrey:
Don't stress yourself trying to fit a character who has become square into a round story. A number of authors I enjoy have ended up dropping their original protaganist and reserving him for a later different work, while cooking up a new character wo can work better with the story you're on.
Question or two. Do you come up with the story arc, then build the charcter to fit the story, or do you build and develop the character (in concept at least) and then sculpt a story around the character You Want?
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