evolution_rex
Inkling
My favorite movie and novel is 2001: A Space Odyssey. The film opened my eyes when I was young and made me see the potential in art and storytelling. I realized that the method in which someone can tell a story doesn't have to the standard way. Point is, I think the film and the novel are a great. But what makes them really unique to me, especially the film, is that they pretty much lack a 'main character', or characterization in general. The best way I can describe the story is that it's beyond any specific individual because the story isn't about a person but about the evolution of mankind. It's a big story told through a few scenes which are abstract and told through surreal visuals and music rather than dialogue.
This impacted me when I was young and the stories I come up with now do not start with the imagination of a character. In truth, I have a hard time writing characters, which is why I usually stick to one lone main character rather than a 'group' or 'team' of them. As I grew up and began to take more interest in writing, I knew that characters were important so I forced myself to try to write them better. I think I can make a decent character, but I simply don't find that part of the writing process fun. The fun part are the concepts, the setting, the themes, and how I can write a scene. Characters are often just the vehicle for the plot and the themes to express themselves for me. I don't mean that I force my characters into bad or out of place decision making just to move the plot along, but to me the pieces of plot are what comes first, and then I have to come up with the characters just so the plot can be a story,
My questions are; do you think every story needs good characters? Are there any examples you know where a novel tells a good story without major emphasis on their characters? If I don't find writing characters fun, does that mean I'm not cut out to be a writer? Do you find writing characters fun? Is there a way to ease the pain of writing them?
This impacted me when I was young and the stories I come up with now do not start with the imagination of a character. In truth, I have a hard time writing characters, which is why I usually stick to one lone main character rather than a 'group' or 'team' of them. As I grew up and began to take more interest in writing, I knew that characters were important so I forced myself to try to write them better. I think I can make a decent character, but I simply don't find that part of the writing process fun. The fun part are the concepts, the setting, the themes, and how I can write a scene. Characters are often just the vehicle for the plot and the themes to express themselves for me. I don't mean that I force my characters into bad or out of place decision making just to move the plot along, but to me the pieces of plot are what comes first, and then I have to come up with the characters just so the plot can be a story,
My questions are; do you think every story needs good characters? Are there any examples you know where a novel tells a good story without major emphasis on their characters? If I don't find writing characters fun, does that mean I'm not cut out to be a writer? Do you find writing characters fun? Is there a way to ease the pain of writing them?