tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post4247086383166216903..comments2024-03-17T06:03:00.362-04:00Comments on Fiction University: Why We Should Do Bad Things to Our Characters Janice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-42140217157188391912015-12-28T08:07:19.366-05:002015-12-28T08:07:19.366-05:00Love it. Sounds like a great way to create great c...Love it. Sounds like a great way to create great characters. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-79404337629921933102015-12-21T04:41:53.159-05:002015-12-21T04:41:53.159-05:00I have the opposite problem! I love to put my char...I have the opposite problem! I love to put my characters in a dark place, to make them make terrible choices and suffer the consequences. I like to start with a deeply flawed character, break them apart and turn them into a decent human being. Now that I think about it, I rarely reserve a true, unmistakable happy ending for them. I need them to keep scars to make sure that whatever happened to them made them a better person, but not a different person.<br />Or, like Leonard Cohen would say in Anthem: <br />"There is a crack, a crack in everything <br />That's how the light gets in." Blondie B. Goodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04604675752890942675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-47231406544977023722015-12-11T09:46:21.331-05:002015-12-11T09:46:21.331-05:00Great example. Thanks for sharing! Great example. Thanks for sharing! Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-81539716017916463452015-12-11T09:40:43.130-05:002015-12-11T09:40:43.130-05:00Or did you go right? Just think how much more his ...Or did you go right? Just think how much more his death will mean now. The motivation will be so much stronger for her.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-52961712334904262872015-12-11T09:39:32.758-05:002015-12-11T09:39:32.758-05:00Katie, that's me as well. Nope, not wrong. Lik...Katie, that's me as well. Nope, not wrong. Like Bonnie said above, you love them, so you know readers will love them, which will make all that pain mean so much more to readers.<br /><br />Gale, good for you!Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-38988534971735098022015-12-11T09:37:57.792-05:002015-12-11T09:37:57.792-05:00Grit your teeth and do it. It's easier when yo...Grit your teeth and do it. It's easier when you know it's the right thing for the story. I had to kill a loved character in Darkfall, and when I realized it, I told one of my crit partners. She gasped and said "No, no XX!" But as soon as I told her why she agreed. "Yep, XX has to die"Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-56309493590153290042015-12-11T09:36:27.596-05:002015-12-11T09:36:27.596-05:00Indeed. Indeed. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-18936095995932933802015-12-11T09:36:03.015-05:002015-12-11T09:36:03.015-05:00Most welcome :)Most welcome :)Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-51459913169796752702015-12-11T09:35:44.098-05:002015-12-11T09:35:44.098-05:00And you did a fabulous job :)And you did a fabulous job :)Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-83365155030107560352015-12-11T09:33:03.662-05:002015-12-11T09:33:03.662-05:00“Whatever doesn’t kill them makes them more intere...“Whatever doesn’t kill them makes them more interesting.” So true! Because when characters have to act and make decisions (especially tough ones) ... this is when their character is revealed in the most meaningful and memorable ways. <br /><br />Excellent tips here! Generally, I'm not shy about making things hard, even awful, for my characters, but in one manuscript I did have a scene that was difficult for even me to get through (probably because it was very close to some personal experiences I had. Didn't WANT to write this scene, but I could see it was where the story was heading, and I knew I couldn't cheat. Still, I cringed while writing the scene and I cringed every time I had to edit/read through it again.) So yes, acknowledge when a scene is hard to write. And make sure you do what you need to get through that scene and give it your best. Our stories won't be as resonant or genuine if we skip the scenes that are painful or scary to write. <br /><br />--Sam Taylor, AYAP TeamAdventures in YA Publishinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01988552171385111119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-1358745020640313632015-12-10T00:55:55.425-05:002015-12-10T00:55:55.425-05:00I guess I'm too tender with my characters. So ...I guess I'm too tender with my characters. So I tried to toughen up & let one of them die.<br />GaleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-10651394200987442552015-12-10T00:51:52.051-05:002015-12-10T00:51:52.051-05:00I'm going through right now. My main girl was ...I'm going through right now. My main girl was slacking in professional motivation. So I thought I'd add a new character that would end up dying a short while later. They went to school more than a decade ago, then he moved out of state & was forgotten. He only came back for a big weekend event where they chanced to meet. Everything about him is a sweetie. With years of hard work, he has since managed to go from poverty to riches. But he never forgot where he came from. She was supposed to make some stupid mistake. After his death, she was to be super motivated not to take progress for granted. I even decided he'd die after he'd been away for weeks on one of his many business trips out of the country. I still haven't figured what stupid mistake she does, because it seems she's falling for him. It's not supposed to be that way! Once she gets her act together, there's another love interest I have in mind for her. Where did I go wrong... again?<br />GaleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-51650514310477921312015-12-09T17:29:54.599-05:002015-12-09T17:29:54.599-05:00Great post, even if it wasn't for me. I'm ...Great post, even if it wasn't for me. I'm the kind of person where putting a character in danger and making them uncomfortable brings a smile to my face. so my question is: Is it wrong that I care about the character so much that I love to inflict pain and conflict on them? <br /><br />~K.A.C.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17431543441334581991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-34826407949312936102015-12-09T14:12:31.438-05:002015-12-09T14:12:31.438-05:00I was surprised to see it.I was surprised to see it.VJ Bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13513010828304536276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-16869840857807948482015-12-09T14:09:09.786-05:002015-12-09T14:09:09.786-05:00What about when you have to actually *kill* a char...What about when you have to actually *kill* a character you really like?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-32850844065667101102015-12-09T13:39:22.035-05:002015-12-09T13:39:22.035-05:00Oh the humanity of not wanting to put a favorite c...Oh the humanity of not wanting to put a favorite character through the ringer. It's understandable to want to keep that fave out of harm's way, but stories are made of conflict, tension, and resolutions. Those things come about due to what we put our through. Angela Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03324366495151363782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-23428515547236773342015-12-09T13:21:27.616-05:002015-12-09T13:21:27.616-05:00Another savable blog post! Thanks, Janice. Another savable blog post! Thanks, Janice. Carol Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444182118975929045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-4768533274653101332015-12-09T12:12:09.614-05:002015-12-09T12:12:09.614-05:00I love this post, Janice!I love this post, Janice!Paul Anthony Shortthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14393249001158230985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-1087753872168882562015-12-09T09:46:01.560-05:002015-12-09T09:46:01.560-05:00If you care that much about him, your reader will ...If you care that much about him, your reader will too. Love this. The last novel I wrote, it was All. I. Could. Do. to plant my fanny in the chair and write the 'Ugly Scene'. Wish I would have read this before I white-knuckled my way through it Bonnie Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02813024239481434223noreply@blogger.com