Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Loving Your Characters

Amusingly, after the previous discussion about characterization, I found this one that says you must love all your characters.

I disagree.  You don't have to love all of them them, or even like them.  You just have a better chance of telling a good story if you do.  The minimum is that you must understand  your characters.  If you do, their actions will flow naturally.  If you don't, then they'll do things that don't make much sense or do make sense but aren't explained well enough for the reader to see why.  Gaps in your understanding become potholes on the road of your story, and your readers will not thank you for that.

Know your characters.
Tags: discussion, how to, networking, writing
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  • 5 comments
msstacy13

msstacy13

October 18 2010, 11:52:49 UTC 10 years ago

Hmm.
I suppose one could argue about what is meant by love,
but you're certainly right about the understanding part.
aldersprig

Loving the bad ones is hard.

aldersprig

October 18 2010, 13:37:47 UTC 10 years ago

Agreed. I have a few characters in Addergoole I really don't like. They're not nice people. But the more I understand them, the more I understand my setting, and the deeper all the characters become.

ysabetwordsmith

Re: Loving the bad ones is hard.

ysabetwordsmith

October 19 2010, 07:07:08 UTC 10 years ago

It's very important to know what is considered bad and wrong in a society, when you're writing stories. Looking at villains and outcasts is a good way to do that.
aldersprig

Re: Loving the bad ones is hard.

aldersprig

October 19 2010, 12:42:51 UTC 10 years ago

*nods* I'd not thought of it that way, that the villians don't just define "what's wrong with this place" but "what is considered wrong IN this place."

Deleted comment

ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

October 18 2010, 21:28:50 UTC 10 years ago

>>Hm...I think love isn't quite the right word for certain villainous characters. Perhaps they're more the types you love to hate. <<

That's what I think too. I just couldn't resist linking the article since it was such a precise counterpoint to the previous one.

Some of my evil characters are creepy and sordid and leave little to be admired. But there is one I love: Kovid, my warlord-wizard from Penumbra. He is brilliant and ruthless. *chuckle* And he sensibly waited until the credits rolled on The Fellowship of the Ring before muttering "Sauron is a pussy."