A brief note on plot

[zellandyne]

I'm coming to really dislike plots that hinge too much on stupidity. Whether it's the momentary stupidity of a character (I should tell everyone that there's a demon who looks exactly like me and is trying to kill me... oh, I just don't feel like it...) or the determined stupidity of everyone around the main character (wow, you saved all our asses

Comments

[swan_tower]

I feel like stupidity often comes about because the writer wants/needs a certain thing to happen in their plot, and so they trample over anything that gets in the way of it (like common sense). It drives me CRAZY when that happens, because then the only answer for "why did the character do that?" is, "because otherwise X wouldn't have happened."

[zellandyne]

Exactly.

To my shame, I remember when I did that sort of thing. In my own defense, I was 14.

[swan_tower]

None of us should be held accountable for what we wrote when we were 14.

[pure_agnostic]

"everyone is stupid and against the good guy"

I heard that many authors tend to make the main character a projection of themselves - which is why the main character is often as the hero, or at least a good person. (Whoever sees themselves as the villian?) And how many people see themselves as "I'm smart and everybody else has the stupid"? That's just my hunch for why so many stories are based on "main character is good and everybody else is wrong".

[zellandyne]

Totally. I don't remember which book on writing it was, but one of the first ones I read made the excellent point that no one is universally loved, nor hated. If you want a believable character, remember, some people love him, some like him, some don't like him, some hate him, and some really don't care.

And I remember when one of my grad school professors made the point, "You know, no one names *themselves* the League of Evil Mutants." I think you'd like him.

[bearddevil]

Actually, I think in these days of increasingly jaded and irony-soaked outcasts, the odds of a group calling themselves "The League of Evil Mutants" has increased substantially.

That would also be a good name for a band.

[weiskind]

I completely agree. That's why so few popular TV shows, movies or books really work for me. I am particularly sensitive to a subset of stupid: I hate hate hate plots driven by bad communication.

[zellandyne]

Oh, goodness, yes. It happens in every genre, but lately I've noticed it most in romance, where there isn't even any kind of a plot if the characters actually tell each other, "Hey, I think you're kind of cool."

I have to admit, I have a lot of trouble rooting for the leads to get together when it's clear from the get go that their communication problems are going to make it a horrible relationship.

[amoken]

I've found that if the main character really is incredibly dense, consistently, then it can work. Of course, I've only found one idiot main character that I can really tolerate, and it's because she's surrounded by smarties and the tone of the book is funny.

[steuard]

I like your examples. (Harry Crewe remains a favorite of mine, too. I've just started reading Miles.) Was there any particular author or book that inspired all this?

[zellandyne]

I just reread Blue Sword and came to the conclusion that it is my favorite book. Which is saying a lot.

And yes, I was reading a book that I actually really liked, but getting frustrated at this recurrent theme with the author. The Naomi Novik Temeraire series. If you haven't read them, I do *highly* recommend them. Even with that issue of almost everyone being set against the main character for stupid reasons. The writing is charming, the books are fun... They're very good books. With just that niggling issue.... She's a n excellent writer. I think, if she could get past that particular plot crutch, she could be a spectacular one.