My first blush reaction was, "Gosh. I don't know."
But then I realized all of my protagonists fight the good fight. They're stubborn and independent, taking on impossible odds, facing challenges that come from sweeping economic and political change we have little control over. They're kind, compassionate, idealistic, and they fight for change. They struggle. They fail. They persevere. These are the good guys we all want to be.
And my antagonists, caught up with greed, set aside their concern for others to achieve their goals. Shaped by nightmares, cultural expectations of race and class, driven by their own egos, they wreak havoc in a world I don't want to be a part of. They are faceless night monsters, unethical, and quick to forgive their own weaknesses. They appeal to others because they can be charismatic, seductive, and then manipulative. I try to find their redeeming qualities. Writing the villain is the toughest challenge I face.
Famous film-maker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) once said, "All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography."
What a shining sense of what a person's (or character's) life can mean.
Here's the rub. Neither we nor our characters can escape our pasts. What we write has the potential to influence others. That's a responsibility and a challenge we may not see when we're knee-deep in our stories. For as we construct a character trait by trait, experience by experience, we confront our villains anew.
Don't we all hope to find that pearl in our villains' autobiography? And aren't we all working for that sometimes hard to find 'happy for now' ending?
With special thanks to Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor! for hosting this July 3 posting of IWSG. Why not check out what others have written -- or join in IWSG right HERE?
Famous film-maker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) once said, "All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography."
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| A page from Sandra Brown Jensen's amazing journal. Used with permission. |
Here's the rub. Neither we nor our characters can escape our pasts. What we write has the potential to influence others. That's a responsibility and a challenge we may not see when we're knee-deep in our stories. For as we construct a character trait by trait, experience by experience, we confront our villains anew.
Don't we all hope to find that pearl in our villains' autobiography? And aren't we all working for that sometimes hard to find 'happy for now' ending?
With special thanks to Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor! for hosting this July 3 posting of IWSG. Why not check out what others have written -- or join in IWSG right HERE?
Hi Beth! I love your take on characterisation and how personal it is. Which is why the wonderful book, Story Genius, tells us to delve deeply into our characters' lives and not to start writing til we know everything about their past, their motivations etc. Although tedious, I've found that takes my writing to a higher level.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Denise, very much. I ordered Lisa Cron's very popular book and found some additional resources from her as well. This resource will change the rest of this summer's writing, but hopefully, I will be closer to more than a cardboard villain!
DeleteFellini said it perfectly. I loved the overview of your own characters. I think this question made us look more closely at the people we create.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I also learned I don't like to look too closely at what motivates the bad guys but need to.
DeleteI like your take on the responsibility and a challenge of it all.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lynda. I don't see these responsibilities necessarily when an idea for a story first comes along or while I'm writing, but hope to when editing.
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