ship 05 - opinions, i have them

[flaky_artist]

I am having Thoughtful Thoughts today, and feel the need to analyze some writerly things/ask you guys a question on your own techniques/opinions. Inspired by today's ship, and my current fic-related angst.

Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry?

Comments

[knopflergroupie]

Hey there, thought you might like this concerning Miss Littleton and the Walls of Canon surrounding her. It really changed my perspective. Do you know crickets? I feel like the two of you might get along.

I think a lot of your post is too smart for me. If I understand you correctly, the question is "characters or plot?" And for me the answer is, unhelpfully, "depends." Character stuff can be sacrificed for plots and vice versa, and it all has to do with the writer and the intended audience. I'm a pretty firm believer that most pairings can be sold, but more importantly, my rule when reading and writing is that no action is ever "out of character," as long as there is motivation in place. I wrote in my post last night about the crack-y inexplicable-ness of James committing adultery with Ilana but, frankly, it could be done. There would be outcries of "James would never cheat on Juliet," but really, who are we to declare what any flawed human being is capable of?

So if you want the plot a certain way, just make sure there is a reason your character is behaving the way he or she is behaving. Your character doesn't necessarily have to understand said motivations, because human beings rarely do, but if you know the motivations, any reader who matters will too.

Of course, I ought to practice what I preach. crickets' post reminded me that I can be judgmental about pairings that make no canon sense, which is a habit I'm trying to quit.

And that's totally not even answering your question. *pouts* I don't even know. Maybe you could give me an example of a dilemma that's bothering you right now?

(Oh, and Charlie/Claire as a pairing bothered me too. For many reasons.)

[flaky_artist]

Sorry for replying so late; as I was thinking of how to best describe the problem I've been having, it started to resolve itself.

my rule when reading and writing is that no action is ever "out of character," as long as there is motivation in place.

THANK YOU for this. I think my whole problem came from basing how I wrote certain characters on my own motivation, instead of theirs. It's weird that, once I let go of my stubborn idea, the plot turned out to be exactly the same, but there is now a reason for the characters to do it, instead of just "well, I'm the writer and I want it to happen."

Now that I think about it, that seems to always be the best option in my writing. Whenever I let the characters drive, the plot either falls into place or creates a new and better scenario. I need to stop forgetting that.

Thanks so much for your helpful and thought-provoking comment. :)