McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
How powerful should a protagionist be?
Uilos:
--- Quote from: prime_spirit on February 08, 2007, 02:27:38 AM ---It is essentially the protagonist's story you're writing about and thus, he/she must have certain issues that the reader could relate to. Such as taking the bus or driving the car to work or take on the bad guys in a battlefield or sneak into the fortress. It's the choices the protagonist makes, rather than the best of his abilities (indeed maybe the lack of his abilities) which makes a charcter who/what we can love and cheer to.
Oh gods and freaks, I think I subconciously quoted JKRowling's Dumbledore of COS :o.
But still, the system works. The character grows, he loses his abilities and makes different choices. You question what if he still had the power and then which way would it force him/her to do the best thing or the right thing.
Indeed, I plan to make my character with super-potential and super-strong but her choices restricts her from acheiving top level. Not to mention getting crippled socially, physically, magically and emotionally (in that order). But remember, what makes a book is the characters. Plural. There are others that would support my protagonist along the way, those she had helped before. They wouldn't want her to give up no matter how much she just wants to lay down and disappear.
So it doesn't matter how tough/weak your protagonist is. Preferably, the tougher he is, the more people needed to bing him down. He could be a god with phenomenal cosmic power but it still comes down to either sacrifice his family/friends so their pure blood can heal the planet or rescue them to a temporary heaven and risk bleeding reality to the demons. It's the walk that goes with the talk ;).
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I came across this while writing. In the world I'm writing, there are six types of abilities: Corporeal (strength, flight, intangibility etc.) Elemental (able to control earth, wind or fire.) Mage (able to use magic) psychic (telepathy, oracular powers) Spirit, which is the extremely rare ability to use one's own (or another's) life force and Wild, which is anything that doesn't match the other five abilities.
Now, when/if two of these types mate, the child normally takes on either of the traits of their parents, never both. Hybrids are a rare thing. That being said, my main character is a hybrid and posesses three of the types: Psychic, Mage and Spirit. But because he is a hybrid, he is considered to be a bastard by the Mage side of his family, is recognized but not officially protected by his psychic family, and the others think he's too dangerous.
So the main character is ostricized, not taken seriously, and ultimately shunned, which has both stunted his growth and limited his knowledge and control on his powers (especially magic)
So here's a lesson to all, if your character has too much power, beat him down a notch or two to teach him humility
meg_evonne:
--- Quote from: neurovore on August 31, 2007, 06:12:41 PM ---Looking at most of Harry's big end-of-book victories, what they seem to have in common is a gift for lateral thinking. I have this vague notion that Harry's gift for thinking about how to do unexpected things with defined situations may owe something to having been brought up by a professional stage magician.
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He certainly thinks fast on his feet when things switch course and is quite adept at using the materials he finds around him to his advantage like a stage magician, (click to show/hide)Sue comes to mind as a huge :D example. I especially love the simple little human things that pop up in situations, (click to show/hide)like the body being dumped from a moving vehicle outside the convention hall during the White Council meeting and Harry asks, "Did anyone get a license plate number?" of course they haven't and and he says, "Wizards.."
So when you aren't reading Dresden and your Dad's old books from the 60's what sci fi do you turn to for enjoyment?
Uilos:
--- Quote from: meg_evonne on September 02, 2007, 03:06:33 AM ---
So when you aren't reading Dresden and your Dad's old books from the 60's what sci fi do you turn to for enjoyment?
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Neil Gaiman...
meg_evonne:
I've just seen Star Dust, and look forward to reading the book. I understand there are differences. Other than Star Dust, which do you recommend?
Uilos:
It's very different and doesn't end the same way. I've kinda done the whirlwind reading course this summer as research (can you really call it that if you've enjoyed every minute of it?) for my novel. I've read all of the Dresden Files (SF-WN in two months...life?), NightWatch by Sergei Lukanyenko (mispelled), which is very good once you get past the russian cultural/writing differences. American Gods, also by Neil Gaiman, very graphic but very good. Also, I read the first four books in Stephen King's Dark Tower series.
Also, one of my personal favorites, is Hell on Earth by Michael Reaves, which is similar to Dresden
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