Getting geared up for a few weeks of writing

[mariko_writing]

My straight man is more or less a non-entity right now. In this world I'm creating with weird, self-obsessed characters, he's supposed to be the one you identify with. Unfortunately he's so much of a surrogate-type character that he's really just kind of there. That's no good. My favorite straight men characters are just as well-developed and

Comments

Ah, characters

[ideealisme]

I had a similar problem where I had two villainous females and one conventional, unimaginative but decent woman who was taken under their wing. But as it happened, I can't stand conventional, unimaginative decent people and my dislike of this character and her gullibility and traditional values just poured straight out of the page. I wanted to kick her arse from here to Galway and so, inevitably, did my protagonist!

Good luck with Mr Tim Nice but Dim!

Re: Ah, characters

[ideealisme]

also (points at music) Irish stuff!

Re: Ah, characters

[mariko_writing]

Ha, that sounds like a job of a character. My problem is that I like him okay, but that's because I'm the overprotective writer etc. etc. and I hope I can work it so he won't be too boring to everybody else.

As for Irish things in general, I'm actually debating whether or not to go back this spring. It seems like a no-brainer, since I'd have done most of the heavy legwork (flywork?) already!

[hanfastolfe]

OT:

I used to giggle at place names with the word "Butte" in them.

It probably didn't help that in one unfortunately named county in Idaho, the football team name is the "Pirates".

[mariko_writing]

The Butte Pirates? I hope whoever came up with that name was a meticulous IRL troll and not that clueless!

[the_sly_wink]

The perennial problem of relatable-but-boring strikes again. Luckily, most normal people are hardly normal -- we all have weird personal quirks -- so even if you end up giving the protag a few bizarre traits, simply the fact that he has them might make him both interesting and relevant to your audience even if they don't share those specific quirks.

How much do you know about his background? What is it about him in particular that allowed him to remain fairly normal in a universe full of freaks? Maybe you can explore why he's still balanced, and in finding the reason you'll uncover other ways those roots have influenced him.

[mariko_writing]

That's some good advice there. I suppose the direction I might take him in is someone who is painfully aware of his ordinariness and wishes he were more messed up in order to fit in.