Writing

Dealing with Prima Donna Characters

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I’m not sure how it happened. There they were, minding their own business, being perfectly fine main characters…until they met the secondary ones.

My secondary characters have the habit of being demanding. They don’t like being secondary. They feel they are more important than the main characters. And I believe them.

Geoffrey, the subject of my never-ending-ever-revisiting fantasy story, began his life as a typical mentor type for this wide-eyed-naif Thomas. Geoffrey quickly assured me (well, it took a year or two) that he was far more interesting than Thomas who was just a typical idiot on a quest. Geoff’s a rather bored historian who runs a Boston hotel.

See also Liv. He was supposed to be the second in command to a space ship captain (who was the primary character). Liv told me that as a grumpy, I-hate-children type person, he’d be better suited as the main character. He must be the center of attention at all times. Well, they’re on terra firma and Liv is still the center of attention. Cheeky little scene stealer.

Thank God Geoff and Liv reside in different universes. I’d never get a story told with their egos butting around.

Destroying characters in one smack

General Geekiness

Ah, the pages of pulp fiction. A place to lose yourself in the fast paced world of fancy…or laugh hysterically at an author’s expense.

I’m currently reading Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons. It’s light and a quick read; thus far I have only one major beef.

How idiotic can the physicist Vittoria Vetra be?

Case in point:

“Is the Pantheon even a church?”

It is. Vittoria, you’re Italian. You’re apparently intelligent (you helped create an antimatter-creating particle accelerator for Chrissake) and your adopted father was a ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST. I imagine he must have taught you something about it amongst all the math and science.

I realize that not everyone knows the Pantheon is a church or that it is in Rome (no, it isn’t the Parthenon, that’s in Athens). But seriously.

And so I’m back (from outer space)

General Geekiness
CC Syd Daoust

CC Syd Daoust

My exams are done. I’m back and should have slightly more time for blogging.

As of late, I’ve been steadily working on my novel, now tentatively titled Summertime Blues but that will probably change. Proofreading is draining, especially since I’ve realized the novel needs far more help than previously expected. I’ve determined that this draft is repetitive and boring, and that Will annoys the crap out of me with his emo-lite whining. Primarily first person POV is not conducive to this story.

At least as the writer I realize that it is by no means a masterpiece. Better that I recognize its faults than praise its few (if any) virtues.

On character development (part VI)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

The Character’s Wealth, Power, and Influence.
1. Does this person have much money? Does it provide position or respect from others for him

He’s 19. He only has what he’s earned, and doesn’t get any respect for it.
2. Is your character generous or selfish with their money and possessions?

He’s generous with food, but is a bit of a miser.
3. Is the character socially prominent? Are they prominent from wealth, position, office, family history, ability or accomplishment?

No. He hasn’t done much.
4. Does the character rate high in the “pecking order” within their own household? Town? Area? Nation? World?

Nope. In his household, he ranks below his younger sister (or perceives it as such). In his town, he’s known as his parents’ son. Apart from that, no one has any idea who he is.
5. Does this person wield much clout? Over whom and by what means?

No.
6. Can they command others to do their bidding, by word or manipulation?

Only in his dreams.
7. How do they get their desires?

He goes after them himself, using his own money.
8. To whom are they subservient? Is this submission willing or unavoidable?

He’s subservient to his parents and bosses. It’s unavoidable.

Casting your Characters

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Do various actors ever pop into your mind when working on a story? Do you ever think, “Oh man! Hugh Jackman would be perfect as my character”?

I took a class on modern theatre a year ago. For our final project, we had to read a play and then cast it, design costumes, etc.

I read Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. We cast David Tennant as Katurian, Sean Bean as Ariel, Michael Fairman as Tupolski, and Edward Norton as Michel (solely because we couldn’t think of anyone else).

Ever since that course, I’ve been thinking about who looks like my characters, or at least could pull them off. I haven’t been able to pinpoint anyone as Will, yet. But I’ve noticed that I rarely watch movies/TV shows with characters in their late teens-early twenties, so that may be part of the problem. Having just rewatched Dead Poets Society, I’m thinking a young Robert Sean Leonard or a young Ethan Hawke. They look completely different, but Will’s coloring is closer to Ethan’s.

For other characters, it’s a little easier. In my mind, Geoffrey looks like Peter Wingfield (a semi-underground actor who’s in mostly sci-fi stuff, but was in this season of 24).

But what about you all? Does anyone else do this?