McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

How powerful should a protagionist be?

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Josh:

--- Quote from: Lady Domini on January 01, 2007, 02:20:31 AM ---I know that it makes good storytelling, but one part of me is wondering why magic has to have some horrible downside.

I keep thinking of, oh, art.  Drawing, or writing stories.  Both are rather magical to people who never do them, but there's no universal Downside or Punishment for being an artist or author.  And you can still make loads of bucks doing it without being unethical, if you're really really good.

And then I was thinking of another profession, like, I dunno, stuntman.  Totally different upsides, downsides, and risks.

And then, other talents and careers.


--- End quote ---

Delayed response, but here's my thought on this. Art...well, let's take writing for example. It does have its price and its downsides. I do believe this. It costs you Time. It costs you lots of Time if you want to do it and do it well and make a modicum of success doing it, as many people will tell you. What is a downside to writing? Well, unless, like you said, you are really really (I'd throw in a few more really's) good, you aren't often going to make big bucks, even though the dream is there. So you are sacrificing a lot of time and effort and putting yourself through isolation and all that personal angst from the inner editor and critics and rejection from those nasty editors and agents who can't see the beauty of your story...for? A small advance and bad reviews perhaps? Even if you are a good, potentially great writer, the cost and effort only grows as your audience's expectations grow with each story. Sure, it's not as cut and dry as someone having to sacrifice their first born child to enact a spell, but there are costs and there are downsides. Perhaps "cost" and "punishment" aren't necessarily interchangeable terms in this regards (though they certainly can be for a better story, like you said). Everything worth doing has them...things you give up...areas that you are weaker in because of your focus on your passions. Is writing magical? Darn tootin'. Does it have its costs? Oh yez.

Richelle Mead:
From a writer's point of view, it makes it very hard because a too-powerful protagonist is never in any real danger.  My succubus isn't overly powerful, but she is immortal, so...um, her life is never in peril.  Writing certain storylines has proven a real bitch because of this since I can't up the stakes.  Instead, I have to put her loved ones in danger.

I imagine this is true for any writer with a too-powerful character.  We read books to see triumph over adversity...or at least some kind of struggle.  Remove the struggle, and well...

Slife:
Just powerful enough to carry out the plot with difficulty.

Really high power levels can stil be done well. For example, think of the Chronicles of Amber.  The protagonists can create worlds almost effortlessly.  And it still works as a series.

Velkyn_Faer:
One of the main things about Harry Dresden is he is powerful, but he still makes mistakes and still fights people just as or more powerful than him. There are many times you see him walking away from a fight limping, bleeding, and ready to pass out. He isn't a STAR WARS hero, who walks away without even breathing hard (I was a huge SW fan, so please don't get after me about that. I'm mostly speaking of the movies, not the books.) Power should be realistic, and as many people said, relative to their enemy.

However, I'd love to see a bestselling book where the protagonist tries and tries and tries his/her best....... but still loses, and the whole world goes to hell. Or something of that sort. I'm becoming fairly cynical to the stories where the 'forces of light beat back the forces of darkness against overwhelming odds and save the whole entire universe with twelve men, a stone wall, and two coils of duct tape.'

Velkyn

CrazyGerbilLady:
My protagonist has power, and potential for more.  But she is inexperienced, accident-prone, and afraid of her own powers.  She has help in the form of a guardian angel, but he's limited in what he's allowed to do to help her out.  So she's really not only going to be fighting the bad guy but also her own issues.  My problem is going to be making sure I balance out the two conflicts.  I can tell I'll have a tendency to over-emphasize the inner issues and under-emphasize the bad guy!  I'd rather have the two balanced though.  We'll see.

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