FifthView
Vala
Excellent points, Penpilot!
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Writing Characters the Reader Cares About….
- Thread starter Heliotrope
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #123
I discovered these ages ago and totally forgot about them until now.
Amazing worksheets for planning rounded yet heroic characters. By Donald Maas. Part of his Writing the Breakout novel workbook.
Worksheets for The Breakout Novelist | WritersDigest.com
Amazing worksheets for planning rounded yet heroic characters. By Donald Maas. Part of his Writing the Breakout novel workbook.
Worksheets for The Breakout Novelist | WritersDigest.com
psychotick
Auror
Hi,
Came to this late and apologies if this has already been raised, but really does our MC need to be an everyman that everone cares about? The reason I say this, and came to this late, is that I've just sent down my first draft of my latest work to the editor a day ago, and the MC is no everyman at all. Some may find him cold. It's intentional. His back story explains this but is too long to go into here. Suffice to say he's been badly hurt in the past. If I've done it right he'll be seen by most as a good man in a bad place.
My point is that I want readers to sort of like him, though at the same time be a little disturbed by some of the things he does. There's one chapter where he tortures his little brother psychologically and takes pleasure in it. Again the back story explains his reasons for that and makes it understandable if still gross. I want them to root for him as during the book he slowly comes out of his shell, dealing with his past as he battles his enemies. But I don't want them to see him as this heroic white knight etc. Think more Dirty Harry with a background story. You root for him. You cheer when he kills another baddie. But there's not actually much about the character that you like save that he kills the baddies you hate more.
My point is that the MC doesn't have to be someone likeable. Someone you understand and maybe even feel a little sympathy for, will do just as well - I hope!
Cheers, Greg.
Came to this late and apologies if this has already been raised, but really does our MC need to be an everyman that everone cares about? The reason I say this, and came to this late, is that I've just sent down my first draft of my latest work to the editor a day ago, and the MC is no everyman at all. Some may find him cold. It's intentional. His back story explains this but is too long to go into here. Suffice to say he's been badly hurt in the past. If I've done it right he'll be seen by most as a good man in a bad place.
My point is that I want readers to sort of like him, though at the same time be a little disturbed by some of the things he does. There's one chapter where he tortures his little brother psychologically and takes pleasure in it. Again the back story explains his reasons for that and makes it understandable if still gross. I want them to root for him as during the book he slowly comes out of his shell, dealing with his past as he battles his enemies. But I don't want them to see him as this heroic white knight etc. Think more Dirty Harry with a background story. You root for him. You cheer when he kills another baddie. But there's not actually much about the character that you like save that he kills the baddies you hate more.
My point is that the MC doesn't have to be someone likeable. Someone you understand and maybe even feel a little sympathy for, will do just as well - I hope!
Cheers, Greg.
Helen
Inkling
I don't think it's about "saving the cat" - which may well make your character likeable.
I think it's about the beliefs your character possesses which may mis/align to the audience's.
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