McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Overused Types of Characters
Dresdenus Prime:
So this was going to be a very specific question, but I figure I'd open up the space a bit. For any people aspiring to be writers, like me, what types of characters do you think should be avoided?
I, for example, would say that Vampires really need to take a backseat. I know a lot of people love them, but they're used so much in every type of entertainment form today. In my book I'm working on, I do have a vampire, but he/she is a minor role.
As for the specific character, I would like to know if anyone thinks that Valkyries are overused? I wanted to have one featured as a supporting character throughout my book and possibly sequels, but then, possible spoilers ahead, (click to show/hide)I look at The Dresden Files and the last couple books really talked about Odin, his warriors, and the woman Gard is a Valkyrie. My book, just like (click to show/hide)TDF, is a first person investigation narrative. Many details are different, such as my character isn't a private investigator, but I don't want people seeing something in my book and saying "Ugh I already read enough of that type of character", or is it just the matter of making the character different and unique enough?
Any opinions are appreciated.
LizW65:
Having only encountered Valkyries in Dresden, I would say they are very far from overused--unlike vampires and werewolves, of which there is a definite glut.
My personal least favorite overused character is the Rake Reformed by a Good Woman's Love, which has been a cliche since at least the 17th century, and is just as unbelievable now as it was then. True, you tend to get them more in romance than in fantasy/SF, but I find them generally unlikeable. There are more examples to be found at TV Tropes, I'm sure.
However, bear in mind that a good writer can make even the most overused cliche feel fresh and exciting, so don't worry about it too much, just write what you want.
Snowleopard:
Yeah DP, vampires, werewolves and now zombies are on the overloaded list as far as I'm concerned.
Valkyries I haven't really encountered except in TDF.
I think the character I most dislike is the one fulfilling a prophecy but without there ever being a hint of any real kind of
difficulty. They just go blithely on fulfilling their destiny. Makes my back teeth itch so to speak.
Or the one-dimensional villain - so bad they have absolutely NO redeeming features. They become boring.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: Snowleopard on July 27, 2011, 04:42:51 PM ---Or the one-dimensional villain - so bad they have absolutely NO redeeming features. They become boring.
--- End quote ---
Making a villain well-rounded and still having no redeeming features is an interesting challenge, but I've met a couple of real people whom I'd have no hesitation characterising in such terms, so it must be possible.
1eyedjack:
I always liked villains I could identify with, who always had reasons for what they did, even if they weren't the best. I like villains whose road to hell was paved with good intentions. That's why I like Marcone. He's not entirely evil, but he'll do anything to get ahead. He has plenty of redeemable qualities but the guy is still bad news.
I really don't like characters with too much power. There's a point in a story where things become too much, and the "scale" of power is obliterated. I've been satisfied with Dresden in that He's always in over his head and while he is strong there's always something to outclass him. In the Belgariad by David Eddings it worked sort of, but the Mallorean shouldn't have been written. If you kill a god then you are done, that's all there is to it.
Really the Mallorean defines Snow's post on blithely fulfilling destiny and the Belgariad is guilty of that too sometimes.
I despise flawless characters as well. Flaws are the foundation of a character and without them you don't have a character, you have a machine or a puppet. I love to see the wrong choices made or just choices that while significant have no clear right and wrong.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version