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Saxony Tarn · 08-19-2002, 10:43 AM

Forbidden Romance should only go if it's a cliche, Lila -- if you can put a new spin on it by all means write it! i should e-mail ya to tell ya what evil idea popped into my head over the weekend -- i think that of my two next projects after "Trust Me", one may be losing its spot in line to the other...

Which is after all one way to make characters interesting -- and keep readers interested -- put them in a steady flow of odd situations and see how they get themselves out of 'em. (Not rock after rock after hard place, but at a decent pace so they don't have too long to rest on their laurels and get complacent) It's that sort of "conflict" that reveals character.

As far as avoiding Mary-Sue and PerfectMan, we as authors have to be willing to detach ourselves and actually let -- or make -- the characters suffer a bit. (sort of like overprotective parents!) Someone reading Ace of Cups told me that Kieter was coming across as "too perfect", so i re-examined his structure, found some cracks in him that had potential, and started designing plot complications and twists to exploit those weaknesses. i'd like to think it's made him more easy for readers to relate to (as in, yeah, i know a Type-A workaholic nut like that!)

(and now if you'll all excuse me, Faramir is making a very convincing speech about why his "What-If" story should be written next, and Skheel is showing A LOT more fang than usual... i think i have a character-revealing conflict developing... key to the wine cellar's behind the bar -- !!)

|_|) <-- have a drink on me!

s.t.

(although i may well give in and write it (much like i gave in and began writing "Trust Me") -- it may even give me an even better appreciation of his character by the time he makes it to the screen! Currently i (still) think Faramir was a classic case of Adelheid Syndrome on Tolkien's part (even though i've been trying to work with him in a tale about his bro) but after i've hiked a few more miles in HIS boots and can put him in situations and have readers think, yeah, we can see him handling that event that way, who knows?)

08-19-2002, 10:43 AM	#634
Saxony Tarn Wight Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: a western shore Posts: 132	Forbidden Romance should only go if it's a cliche, Lila -- if you can put a new spin on it by all means write it! i should e-mail ya to tell ya what evil idea popped into my head over the weekend -- i think that of my two next projects after "Trust Me", one may be losing its spot in line to the other... Which is after all one way to make characters interesting -- and keep readers interested -- put them in a steady flow of odd situations and see how they get themselves out of 'em. (Not rock after rock after hard place, but at a decent pace so they don't have too long to rest on their laurels and get complacent) It's that sort of "conflict" that reveals character. As far as avoiding Mary-Sue and PerfectMan, we as authors have to be willing to detach ourselves and actually let -- or make -- the characters suffer a bit. (sort of like overprotective parents!) Someone reading Ace of Cups told me that Kieter was coming across as "too perfect", so i re-examined his structure, found some cracks in him that had potential, and started designing plot complications and twists to exploit those weaknesses. i'd like to think it's made him more easy for readers to relate to (as in, yeah, i know a Type-A workaholic nut like that!) (and now if you'll all excuse me, Faramir is making a very convincing speech about why his "What-If" story should be written next, and Skheel is showing A LOT more fang than usual... i think i have a character-revealing conflict developing... key to the wine cellar's behind the bar -- !!) \|_\|) <-- have a drink on me! s.t. (although i may well give in and write it (much like i gave in and began writing "Trust Me") -- it may even give me an even better appreciation of his character by the time he makes it to the screen! Currently i (still) think Faramir was a classic case of Adelheid Syndrome on Tolkien's part (even though i've been trying to work with him in a tale about his bro) but after i've hiked a few more miles in HIS boots and can put him in situations and have readers think, yeah, we can see him handling that event that way, who knows?) __________________ <-- who, me? Take the Ring? Betray the Fellowship?? Nah -- couldn't be ME, i'm too cute...