Do you ever feel like your relationship with your MC is on a roller coaster designed by Charlie Sheen? (So...it's winning? No! It does speed, of course!) Tell me I'm not the only one out there who loves their MC one day and wants to choke the ever-living shit out of them the next? I'm not...right?
(Someone tell me I'm normal!)
I mean, I love them all to pieces. But sometimes I could just...grrrr--I wanna--
Yes! Exactly! Well said, BluntCard.com.
(That website is hilarious. And vulgar, so if you mind that kinda stuff, you probably don't wanna click that link.)
Let's look at these one at a time, shall we?
First up, Skye Hatton of BROKEN, standing tall with "first WIP" status.
(Why, yes, I am showing off my celebrity inspiration again >:D)
Me and Skye go way back. The two of us have walked a long road of self-discovery together. She stood loyally by my side through my craptastic attempts at a first draft and the dozens of edits and rewrites that followed. In a weird way, we're like best friends. ('Cept one friend isn't real and the other's sole purpose is to cause the first pain and suffering for the good of "the story." Yeah, y'know--best friends.)
But because she's been around so long, she has a tendency to pop up where she's not wanted. She influences poor Vidette from time to time. Translation: I slip into the habit of writing her with my other MCs. This isn't really her fault, though--it's mine. I guess after you've been working with a character as long as I have with Skye, writing them becomes like second nature. I've got to work myself out of that, especially since Vidette isn't anything like Skye.
Another complaint I have with Skye is...well, she's bitchy. And not just in the "I wanna take control of your story" way. Nooo--deep down in the core, her character is kind of a bitch. She's got what I guess you could call a short fuse and it doesn't take much to light it. That's my one real worry for her. She might come off as too...sandpapery. That could make her unlikeable in the long run.
(I don't find her unlikeable, but I could be biased...)
Stepping up next, Ophelia Kierse of OPHELIA, wielding the "first creation" card.
Me and Ophelia go even farther back than me and Skye. I created her way back in 2006. (That's practically ancient in internet years, you know.) Besides the twins who are taking over narration of the sequel to OPHELIA, she's probably my earliest creation. But, unlike Skye, I've only been writing Ophelia since last year. Strange as it seems, she's just been living in my head, waiting for her time to shine.
Because she's been waiting so patiently for so long, I almost feel like I still don't know her yet. I know her story, I know everything that's going to happen to her. But she's still a stranger, despite having called my mind home for the last five years. I'm thinking the total overhaul I've got planned for her story will help sort all that out. I'll have more time to work with her and get to know her true character. I'm especially excited because I've always wanted to do a dystopian and tackling it with one of my first creations should extra-fun.
Because she's been waiting so patiently for so long, I almost feel like I still don't know her yet. I know her story, I know everything that's going to happen to her. But she's still a stranger, despite having called my mind home for the last five years. I'm thinking the total overhaul I've got planned for her story will help sort all that out. I'll have more time to work with her and get to know her true character. I'm especially excited because I've always wanted to do a dystopian and tackling it with one of my first creations should extra-fun.
Last, but not least, here comes Vidette Reichhart, wearing the coveted "favorite WIP" medal.
Vidette is my newest creation and--sorry girls--one of my favorites to boot. She's very different compared to Skye and Ophelia. She comes from a completely different world, was raised to abide by different morals and customs, and views herself and the people around her in a different way. Whereas Skye and Ophelia wouldn't think twice about spitting in your face, Vidette would only wrinkle her nose and say something snarky, because spitting is "very unladylike." And I find that delightful. (Don't ask why--I don't know.)
All that being said, the romance element is more prevalent in DARK WATER than in BROKEN and OPHELIA combined. And let me tell you, I SUCK at romance. So, when dealing with Bren and Shaw, Vidette can get a little...overly dramatic. (Again, technically, my fault.) That's definitely something I'm going to have to tone down in revisions.
She's also a little wishy-washy with the boys. A few chapters ago, she begged and begged and begged me to let her kiss Shaw. So, I let her. And now she's guilt-tripping me about it. Translation: Bitch needs to make up her mind! Everyone (including me) wants her to get it over with.
(Don't you just love it [and by "love it" I mean "want to kick puppies"] when your characters run amok?)
For my non-writer readers (do I even have any of those?) who are out there saying, "If you want her to make up her mind, make her! You're the freaking writer! Take some control!"
Believe me, I'd love to take some control. But that's easier said than done when you're dealing with characters. They have this uncanny ability to grab the steering-wheel and push you out of the car all together. They're pretty much their own separate person. Nine times out of ten, there's no way for a writer to force their will on a character without it coming across as jarringly out-of-character.
This is normally NOT a bad thing. Characters that are allowed to act on their own come off more like real people, instead of a dancing marionette.
Sooo, all in all, I've got a turbulent relationship with my characters. Sometimes, I can overlook the things they've (I've) done "wrong" and love them like my BFF. But other times, those things get under my skin and make me want to bring a flood of near-biblical proportions down on them.
Like I said, Charlie Sheen roller coaster....
OH! And before I go!
I want to throw a shout out to Rane over at The Lit Express, who will be starting her EPIC blogging event in three days. Are you all as super excited as I am? The recent release of the cover has gotten me especially hyped. Just look at THIS COVER and tell me it doesn't get you excited to read it.
If you don't know what I'm talking about (for shame), click here. And! You still have time to sign up for the giveaway that goes along with this EPIC event!
Click here to do so.
KayKay out!
(Trying the Seacrest thing. Don't like it.)
Do you sometimes hate your MCs?
HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar