Gaining reader empathy rant

[limyaael]

And off we go on this one. Once again, I think I should define the term in the title of the rant as I’m using it: reader empathy, here, is the ability to tie the readers to your characters and make them feel for those characters. That isn’t the same as sympathy, which involves an element of wanting the characters to succeed. That’s because reader

Comments

[illian]

I keep hearing that fantasy characters are fiery. Show them burning. Burning sheds a lot of heat and light, and both will attract readers like moths.

I keep thinking of the healer in Son of Avonar.

[limyaael]

*nod* Berg's characters get across qualities like that far better than most writers' (though I generally find her male characterizatinons more convincing than her female).

Cool rant.

[retlor]

I really enjoyed this rant, and all your rants in general.

I have to say though, you like to target 'Wizard's First Rule' but it was one of the few books where the hero actually defeats the villain by outwitting him in a believable way. The rest of it was crap though.

Re: Cool rant.

[cartesiandaemon]

I did enjoy it, but if Richard could lie about the book, couldn't he have said "And step 37 in opening the box, drive this dagger into your stomach. Don't worry, you won't die" :)

What I did notice is that the whole sword of truth thing is built around moral relativism and Zed actually explains that Darken Rahl believes he'd doing the right thing. Which is the whole believable villain thing he should have been doing (though apparently muffed it rather by not making him sympathetic in any way).

Re: Cool rant.

[limyaael]

*shrug* I think it's a hugely overrated book. One moment of cleverness- and I think there were other ways of doing that- and a bit of nice philosophy near the beginning don't overrule the tediousness of other parts of it. And I tend to launch myself at Goodking and Jordan more because a lot of people look at them and think, "This is what fantasy is like." Ugh. No. It doesn't have to be.

[troubadour118]

the insectile corners of the human soul.

More poetry from you, please. ^_^

[limyaael]

*grin* May post some later.

[klgaffney]

When his first friend, acquaintance, enemy, son, spouse, rival, parent, teacher, student, subordinate, commander, peer, lord, subject, customer, mentor, love interest, comes on the stage, how does he react?

that's such...*purrs* i love that. when an author can think to do that, or, better yet, the character's just so alive that it's natural. so important, and so overlooked. it makes all the difference between a wooden puppet and a real live boy.

Present those ordinary things. Itchy heroes are very easy to empathize with in the sense of shared experience.which only reminds me that a lot of my favorite little gems in comic books are not the massive time traveling, super dramatic saving the universe arcs, but rather those little inbetween issues where say, martian manhunter's dealing with a chocolate sandwich cookie addiction. *chuckles* okay, maybe not the most exciting example. but the guys with the phenomenal powers are (should be?) still subject to bad hair days and socks eaten by the dryer too. brings 'em right down to our level,

[limyaael]

that's such...*purrs* i love that. when an author can think to do that, or, better yet, the character's just so alive that it's natural. so important, and so overlooked. it makes all the difference between a wooden puppet and a real live boy.

This is one place I think the very rigid and ordered school of thought when it comes to characterization- doing profiles for every small thing and so on- falls down. If a writer goes into a novel with every character decision already made, it overrules natural patterns, and sometimes facets of the character's personality that are supposed to mesh flat-out contradict each other.

[onyxflame]

that's such...*purrs* i love that. when an author can think to do that, or, better yet, the character's just so alive that it's natural. so important, and so overlooked. it makes all the difference between a wooden puppet and a real live boy.

That's another area where experience with RP can help. I don't care *how* loving and compassionate your character is, sooner or later she'll find someone that she absolutely cannot stand. And she shouldn't be telling her life story to everyone she meets either, unless she's the kind of person who likes bragging about her scars. Treating different people differently has been used out the wazoo to show that someone's a manipulative bitch, but it's a rather natural thing when you think about it

[lilyflower025]

What would be a good balance for showing? I think it's sort of silly when I read books that tell every single emotion, for the whole novel . Is there a point where there's too much telling? When does the author cross that line? And how do you show an emotion like devastation?
L.
PS-I don't know if you caught this, but I commented on the end of one of your old posts with two things. First, I friended you, and hope you don't mind. Second, I'd like to see a rant on modern fantasy. It's a less written genre, but even high fantasy writers might find it helpful in terms of technology and magic interacting, as well as common
sense issues that hold true for every genre.

[limyaael]

I'm definitely in favor of showing, definitely prejudiced towards it. I tend to favor a ratio of showing to telling of about 3:1. But that's not something I mathematically calibrate, just a balance I've noted in my own writing. As for where a particular author crosses the line, I think it needs to be checked for every individual situation.

PS. I've noticed, and I think I did friend you back. I also did an urban fantasy rant about a year ago, which may be what you're looking for.

[lilyflower025]

Yes, that urban fantasy rant was what I was looking for! Thanks for pointing it out to me-I'm still working my way backwards. You did friend me, but I guess I didn't notice it or someething. I'm sorry about that; I've been pretty absent-minded lately. I hope your internet gets fixed soon, by the way. It's no fun to be without a good, reliable internet connection.

[raleighj]

Love your avatar!