- This topic has 26 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 7 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
@Dragon-snapper I had a little bit of this in the first book of my trilogy. But I was able to use the Snarky Adventurous character as a Foil and an important part of the MC’s character arc, so that occupied him enough not to have to be a main. (And then in book two I had him as the main protagonist so that worked out well)
As to having the MC being more slow going…maybe you just need to raise the stakes a little higher? Or work on his personality. Brainstorm them a little more so that he’s more of a real person to you. But that said, some real people simply are more slow going than others, and that can be perfectly okay.Writing Heroes ♦ Writing Hope // janemareeauthor.com.au
@graciegirl That makes sense, I give myself too many excuses all the time too. 😛
@Jane-maree Raise the stakes higher…*glances into kitchen* I’ll be right back. *returns* Okay, the steaks are on the top shelf. 😉
Alright, sorry, but actually, that also made me think. The stakes should be on the top shelf, as high as they can go, shouldn’t they?…
However, because the MC does not have a major change (really, its hardly a character arc. Its more like a character hill 🎢 ) and the SACK has a more in depth character arc, I may change their places. Adventurous might become the main character, and the MC a major character. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. That, or I have work to cut out. Characters to cut out. 😛☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀
@dragon-snapper Wouldn’t he? 😛 That would be a really fun scene…. *runs off to torture character*
The Scattered Writer
Wow, @dragon-snapper, I meant to reply to this two days ago. 😀 The answer really is very easy. *sarcastically blinks eyes.* Uh let’s see… so you find it a lot easier to write the fun adventurous character, but the reserved and serious character is really the mainest main character and needs to come on to the stage a little more? Are you an extrovert? Being an extrover myself I feel like I’m always in this pit. I like my spunky characters better because I can relate to them. Let me see if I can put together some of my thoughts. This is really helping me, too!
1. Even introverts have a funny side to them. They may be reserved and quiet around strangers, but at home or with people they know well, it is possible for them to laugh, I think. I would think it would be a very dull IMPOSSIBLE life if you couldn’t smile or laugh because you were afraid to do so in front of other people. I think sometimes when I think “introvert,” I think of people that don’t talk except inside their heads and to themselves, and blush whenever you look at them or talk to them because they’re so nervous. But that isn’t the case usually. Am I right introverts?
2. Make out of the norm things happen to your introvert even if they’re small. Things happen to introverts too. 😀 Perhaps there’s an owl stuck in the attic that makes a ruckus all night and the guy can’t sleep. Or maybe he decides to do something radical on a boring day like *tries to think of something that would be radical to an introvert* um… maybe he arranges the furniture!!! Or… most likely something more interesting than that. 😀
3. Make him personal. Introverts are people too, and most everybody has fears. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the time when a boy threw two June bugs at me, and I burst into tears. I had too many emotions to be able to scold him, so I just burst into tears. It was so pathetic. Of course I forgave him right away but I don’t think I’ll ever forget it, do you know what I mean? Maybe you could give the character a favorite spot that he goes to often to think. I have a spot like that. 😀 Perhaps he has a favorite saying too. In one of the books in the Little Britches series, one character says, “betcha my life” all the time. It gives him personality.
Hope this helps make your guy more interesting to write. 😀 I know it’s helped me to think this through. 😀
And here’s some ice cream for you just because. 😀 🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦
@Kina-Lamb I see @Daeus has taught you his ways…virtual ice-cream and all. 😉
INTJ ➸Your friendly neighborhood mastermind. ➸https://thesarcasticelf.wordpress.com/
@ethryndal @daeus @kate-flournoy @anyone else who’s done the whole rewriting thing.
So…I’m having a hard time deciding this. Writing in third person is really tough for me, and this favoritism thing might be a bit easier if I were actually writing from the POV of the introverts head. As I’m writing, I don’t like any of it. But I go onward. After about an hour, I have nearing 1000 words done. Yet, none of it is quality, and I’ve been telling myself its okay because of the whole first draft dealio. However, when I go back to read it, I go “Hey, this isn’t half bad.” On the other side, I think it’s getting worse…….
So my thinking is, do I continue on with third person until I finish the book, then see if I should’ve done first person then? Or at the point I’m at now, only 15,000, should I just start over with first person and hopefully have it going smoother and easier with better stuff? If I keep going with third person, which is probably the best POV for this book, then I’m afraid I’ll have to rewrite it. How difficult is rewriting? Especially for an 80,000/100,000 word book? What advice do you all have? If I’m not being clear, let me know, and I’ll try to layer this out in a more understandable way… 😛☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀
Oh, and the only novel I’ve written was first person, and for the whole year of writing before that was first person, so the third is new to me. And harder. 😧
☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀
@Dragon-Snapper if you’re in this much of a quandary, experiment. I’ve only ever done third person and I love it and I don’t think that’ll change, but if you feel like you need to switch, try it for a chapter or two. See if you like it. If it isn’t quality, you’ll only have spent a little time to solve a quandary that could have sabotaged your entire book left unchecked. If it is, you’ve figured your problem out without having to rewrite the entire draft if you had waited.
How difficult is rewriting? Especially for an 80,000/100,000 word book? What advice do you all have?
Never have I ever even attempted to rewrite anything that long, but here’s my two cents anyway.
Rewriting is exhausting–physically and emotionally. After all, the reason we rewrite is to make our work better, right? It’s incredible easy to get caught up in everything we did wrong throughout the course of our first draft. So try this–instead of dwelling on what you want to trash, focus on what you need to keep. Focus on what you did well, and instead of looking at the rewrite as, essentially, a massive dumping of everything you did wrong, focus it as, “Hey, when I wrote this, I was weak in this area, but now I’m better.”
Don’t look at the rewriting as fixing what you did wrong, look at is as showing–and proving–to yourself just how far you’ve come. The process will be easier if you look at it like that, and if anything, you’ll be encouraged by your own development as a result.
Writer. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.
And yes, @Kina-Lamb, this—
I think sometimes when I think “introvert,” I think of people that don’t talk except inside their heads and to themselves, and blush whenever you look at them or talk to them because they’re so nervous. But that isn’t the case usually. Am I right introverts?
is correctly supposed to be erroneous. *grins* Introverts have their world inside their head, that’s all— they’re most comfortable and at home there, so it’s stepping out of their completely familiar borders to interact with people. Obviously a little daunting. 😀 But I would definitely say that level of shyness is very extreme and very rare.
I am one… I would know. 😉Seconded. @kate-flournoy
Writer. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.
@Dragon-Snapper I second everything @Kate-Flournoy and @That_writer_girl_99 said. When things don’t seem to be working (this goes for everything, not just POV), it sometimes helps to experiment and come at it from a different angle.
INTJ ➸Your friendly neighborhood mastermind. ➸https://thesarcasticelf.wordpress.com/
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.