Mindfire
Istar
So, as writers we're often encouraged to impose suffering on our characters. It's a chestnut nearly on par with "show, don't tell." But I've recently realized that I'm not very comfortable with this idea as a writer. In fact, I tend to shy away from it.
Recently I presented a short story of mine at a small local writers group and one of the criticisms given was that my character felt invincible and seemed to win too easily. Upon reflection, this could apply to many of my characters. Their victories, while not effortless, are often won without much personal loss (some notable exceptions aside). And I've further come to realize this applies to me not only as a creator, but also as a consumer. I hate it when characters make mistakes or what seem like poor decisions- for any reason. It makes them look stupid to me and actually diminishes my ability to connect with them. Where others see moving, tragic events I see annoying- or even infuriating- setbacks.
Case in point: in a book I was recently reading I reached a point about halfway through where all the progress the protagonists have made is severely undercut in a very personal way. And while I know that it's something they will eventually overcome, the event in question angered me so much that I have put the book down and refused to continue the series. And while this is the first time something like this has caused me enough displeasure to stop reading, I have been similarly irritated by tragic moments in other stories. Perhaps as a result of this negative reaction, when I write my own characters they're clever, powerful, and never (or hardly ever) fail at anything. I don't mean to say that they never lose, only that when they do lose it's because of factors beyond their control rather than flaws or poor choices and the loss is almost always something they can quickly bounce back from. It has not occurred to me until recently that this might be a problem.
I'm looking for some outside perspective here. Is this a flaw? If so, how serious? Is it necessary for a character to fail or be personally wounded in some way during the story? If so, how much is enough? What does my unease with this kind of writing say about me as a writer?
Recently I presented a short story of mine at a small local writers group and one of the criticisms given was that my character felt invincible and seemed to win too easily. Upon reflection, this could apply to many of my characters. Their victories, while not effortless, are often won without much personal loss (some notable exceptions aside). And I've further come to realize this applies to me not only as a creator, but also as a consumer. I hate it when characters make mistakes or what seem like poor decisions- for any reason. It makes them look stupid to me and actually diminishes my ability to connect with them. Where others see moving, tragic events I see annoying- or even infuriating- setbacks.
Case in point: in a book I was recently reading I reached a point about halfway through where all the progress the protagonists have made is severely undercut in a very personal way. And while I know that it's something they will eventually overcome, the event in question angered me so much that I have put the book down and refused to continue the series. And while this is the first time something like this has caused me enough displeasure to stop reading, I have been similarly irritated by tragic moments in other stories. Perhaps as a result of this negative reaction, when I write my own characters they're clever, powerful, and never (or hardly ever) fail at anything. I don't mean to say that they never lose, only that when they do lose it's because of factors beyond their control rather than flaws or poor choices and the loss is almost always something they can quickly bounce back from. It has not occurred to me until recently that this might be a problem.
I'm looking for some outside perspective here. Is this a flaw? If so, how serious? Is it necessary for a character to fail or be personally wounded in some way during the story? If so, how much is enough? What does my unease with this kind of writing say about me as a writer?