I angst about this, too, lol. I don't really have any advise about this, though, except that I think it's a legitimate concern, but also that it's something extremely difficult to judge for yourself because you're the one doing all the character building. This is why it's important, I think, to have someone who can read your work just for those aspects, that you can ask if they fall in love with your character and are sad to leave them behind, or if they think about them after they put down the story.
But have I ever loved my own characters like those I write fanfic about? No. Which might be an indicator that I've just not written any truly loveable characters yet. Depressing thought, LOL.
But have I ever loved my own characters like those I write fanfic about? No.
Ahh, well in that case, considering how much I respect your writerly abilities, I feel a little better, then.
And if it makes you feel any better, I do believe that favorite characters are rare, and every book doesn't necessarily contain one. I can think of many books I've read which I greatly enjoyed, but none of the characters really stuck with me. - Not that I want my stories to read as such, but it is somewhat encouraging to recall!
Strangely enough for this question, I already know that at least for one of my stories, which even had its own fandom for a while, readers loving my characters isn't, or rather wasn't a problem. But I overcompensated and the characters took over that story, so now I have to restart and do a bunch of heavy cutting and adjusting. I guess that's the real crux of my concern: finding a balance
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I do believe that favorite characters are rare, and every book doesn't necessarily contain one. I can think of many books I've read which I greatly enjoyed, but none of the characters really stuck with me. - Not that I want my stories to read as such, but it is somewhat encouraging to recall!
This is a good point--certainly not every book I read or TV show or movie I watch has inspired me to go join a fandom, and that doesn't mean those things didn't have good characters; just not ones that particularly resonated with me, and you're right, it's a lot like friends vs. acquaintances in that way, really. You can't go around expecting everyone you meet to be a bosom friend, but that person is probably someone else's bosom friend; I may not care much for a character, but chances are someone else has written fanfic about them.
I do my creative works close to the chest, never letting anyone see them until they're finished. I guess I do need to start biting the bullet and putting myself at least a little more out there in that regard. I
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I have somehow managed to pry myself away from the x-box for a matter of minutes... ;)
You can't go around expecting everyone you meet to be a bosom friend, but that person is probably someone else's bosom friend;
I really like what akemi_rei said: "I think if you have characters that you yourself have a range of feelings about, then you have characters that your readers will have a range of feelings about."
I dunno about you, but that seems almost like wisdom to me! Here I am freaking out that I don't adore each character, and she's all, "Pshha. Chill out, gurl!" lol
I pulled it off Authonomy because I decided the site was kind of worthless
...Am I the only person who hates the name? Authonomy. Do I pronounce the 'th' or just ignore it? I'm pretty sure they intended the latter, but then you wonder, "WHY the TH?!" It's not cute; it's irritating! Aren't the people who use that site avid writers and readers who probably have penchants for proper spelling and grammar? I'm just saying
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You... are awesome. That's like wisdom right there. Just like that, I'm not concerned anymore! You rock!
It's funny you should mention character hate, though. One of the characters I love is actually one that I want people to hate... It's kind of a messed up situation when I think about it! Lol
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But have I ever loved my own characters like those I write fanfic about? No. Which might be an indicator that I've just not written any truly loveable characters yet. Depressing thought, LOL.
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Ahh, well in that case, considering how much I respect your writerly abilities, I feel a little better, then.
And if it makes you feel any better, I do believe that favorite characters are rare, and every book doesn't necessarily contain one. I can think of many books I've read which I greatly enjoyed, but none of the characters really stuck with me. - Not that I want my stories to read as such, but it is somewhat encouraging to recall!
Strangely enough for this question, I already know that at least for one of my stories, which even had its own fandom for a while, readers loving my characters isn't, or rather wasn't a problem. But I overcompensated and the characters took over that story, so now I have to restart and do a bunch of heavy cutting and adjusting. I guess that's the real crux of my concern: finding a balance ( ... )
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This is a good point--certainly not every book I read or TV show or movie I watch has inspired me to go join a fandom, and that doesn't mean those things didn't have good characters; just not ones that particularly resonated with me, and you're right, it's a lot like friends vs. acquaintances in that way, really. You can't go around expecting everyone you meet to be a bosom friend, but that person is probably someone else's bosom friend; I may not care much for a character, but chances are someone else has written fanfic about them.
I do my creative works close to the chest, never letting anyone see them until they're finished. I guess I do need to start biting the bullet and putting myself at least a little more out there in that regard. I ( ... )
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You can't go around expecting everyone you meet to be a bosom friend, but that person is probably someone else's bosom friend;
I really like what akemi_rei said: "I think if you have characters that you yourself have a range of feelings about, then you have characters that your readers will have a range of feelings about."
I dunno about you, but that seems almost like wisdom to me! Here I am freaking out that I don't adore each character, and she's all, "Pshha. Chill out, gurl!" lol
I pulled it off Authonomy because I decided the site was kind of worthless
...Am I the only person who hates the name? Authonomy. Do I pronounce the 'th' or just ignore it? I'm pretty sure they intended the latter, but then you wonder, "WHY the TH?!" It's not cute; it's irritating! Aren't the people who use that site avid writers and readers who probably have penchants for proper spelling and grammar? I'm just saying ( ... )
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You... are awesome. That's like wisdom right there. Just like that, I'm not concerned anymore! You rock!
It's funny you should mention character hate, though. One of the characters I love is actually one that I want people to hate... It's kind of a messed up situation when I think about it! Lol
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