Sunday, December 5, 2010

Character Sketches: Variety

Once more, I sit down on a late weekend night to discuss my mad habit of writing! Somehow the evening is the only time when I can accurately compile my ideas and dilemmas into a coherent message =D Tonight I have been pondering variety of my characters. I have found that almost all of my main characters of each book have the same basic personality: Book 1- pessimistic and self-serving; Book 2- selfish and serious; Book 3- deeply troubled and often confused; Book 4- (there's two in this book) both are selfish and self-seeking, each seeking to trump the other; Book 5- independent and bitter; Book 6- also very independent (although it's a bad thing in this book) and very guarded, to the point where she does not allow herself deep relationships..... I feel like so much is based on my characters' selfish characteristics, but I never intended that. The method I hope to use in teaching a moral is by creating my characters very sinful (isn't everyone?) and one negative characteristic, which will, in most books, be corrected as the story progresses.

Here's the problem: I feel like I'm not being creative with my characters. Even though character 1 comes from our world and uses modern idioms to add humor, she still has the same characteristics as character 2, whose complexion reflects moonlight (although, since character 1 is the mother of character 2, I guess that wouldn't be so much of a problem). But character 3, who is not at all related to either of the other two, has a troubling past, much like the first two. And even though I'm thinking about having one of the two main characters of Book 4 be ambidexterous, they are both selfish with a troubling past, just like the last three. The characteristics of the character from book 5 are very enclosed to open relationships and independent, with a disturbing present situation, which arises from poor past choices. The character in Book 6 is also independent and bitter, resulting from a poor childhood.....

I feel like I'm not adding enough variety in my books, like I want them to be completely different. However, I find a comical character, who never takes anything seriously, a very unattractive main character..... (A side thought [please forgive my randomness]- maybe that could be a negative characteristic of one of my characters that could be altered by the end of the book??? That she would learn that not everything in life is to be taken so lightly???)...... As you can see, I'm having difficulty creating a main character that makes an interesting main character, while at the same time not copying everything from the last book and slapping a new title on it.

One thing I thought about, except I find it very unimaginitive, is that my series could be about solving the issues of pride and selfishness. I could purposely make each of my characters selfish and teach the value of humility and selflessness in all its different facets and features......... What do you think???? Lame? Unimaginitive? Creative? Unique? Please let me know! Even if someone else has posted exactly what you were going to say, please comment and say so! I LOVE (and I repeat: LOVE) reading all the comments! They are so-sO-So-SO helpful!!! Thank you bunches!

5 comments:

  1. I'll add another comment here. There is nothing wrong with a light hearted protagonist. In fact, it would be refreshing! A lot of women and brooding and moody and far too serious. A funny main character would be cool, in my opinion!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have someone with shoes with wings. Percy Jackson hit off with that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. you should come up with something good for a name of a character that has somthing to do with you like cinderheather!

    ReplyDelete
  4. *sigh*..... well..... I had these great big replies to your wonderful comments, and, my being me, I somehow erased it all.....

    SO... to sum up...

    Bekah: Although integrating a character who is superfluously light-hearted may be difficult since I already have so much of their characters embedded into the story-line, I don't see a problem with it because I haven't started the actual writing process yet =D

    Lyddy: I wouldn't do the EXACT same thing (for fear of being unoriginal), but I'll think of some thing =D

    Angie: =D =D =D Cinderheather..... hhhmmmm...... Perhaps not Cinderheather, but I may consider tying in some nick-names I have had in the past =D Thank you for the suggestion!

    Thanks again for your wonderful comments!!!!

    ReplyDelete