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- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
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Hey KeePers!
All writers know their characters have to start off the story believing a Big Fat Lie. I’m working on character profiles for The Apostle’s Sister right now, and even I was surprised when I discovered the lies my characters believe! Now I’m curious to know, what is your character’s Lie?
I’ll go first and tell y’all Paul’s lie, since I found it to be the most interesting. So here’s his Big Fat Lie:
He is the personification of his past. His past is so horrible and ugly that it is impossible to forgive, and so God has never really forgiven him. He will never be anything but the persecutor and serial killer. Believing that he needs to redeem himself from his past, he attempts to do so over and over, but it continues to chase and haunt him. He doesn’t realize that he can’t redeem himself through works because Christ holds the power of redemption, and Christ already redeemed him from the moment they met on the Damascus road. He doesn’t need to try to redeem himself and deal with all that pressure and grief alone, because God has already done it for him and has borne his sin and burdens on the cross.
Yeah, that’s a bit long, but I felt I couldn’t cut any of it, ’cause it all seems so important to keep in the profile! XD
@gracie-j @devastate-lasting @issawriter7 @mkfairygirl @sparksaraabbott11 @maryg3 @writerlexi1216 @nova21 @scripter-of-kingdoms @jenwriter17 @godlyfantasy12 @keilah-h @elfwing @iluvhim18 @kathleenramm @seekjustice @e-k-seaver @faith-q @daisy-torres @lewilliams @jodi-maile @kayleigh-idea @relia @anatra23
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1789
@joy-caroline Y’know, I don’t suppose I’ve ever really put much thought to it…hmm…most of my characters believe a series of Small Skinny Lies that are complied into a Big Fat Bunch of Lies… Anyway, I’ll do my character Sylvie from my 9/11 story Daylight…
Her BFL is that it’s her fault her friend’s in the hospital. It’s her fault that he could die. And because of that guilt, because of all that happened, she doesn’t deserve a happy ending or to even be looking on the bright side when so many people are hurting.
Eh, not much…at least in comparison to all the lies my other characters believe (Sylvie went easy on me XD).
@joy-caroline I don’t…actually…plot out Lies… I don’t like following the character arc template either, since it feels too constraining to me… If I do anything it is all purely by accident, since that’s the way I work.
Ahem. Anyways. Upon further examination of my stuff, I have realised that there are some characters who start out believing a Lie, most of which come from one work, which I actually bothered plotting for.
(You guys write these out? Wow… Time to make stuff up on the spot…)
I present to you Angelo Marchetti, who I thought was going to be a minor character but now is one of my secondary characters. His lie is that he believes that he didn’t have a choice not to be a criminal, and that he was forced into this situation. And because of that he resents and is envious of Micah, whom he believes was offered a choice, yet chose to become a criminal, just like him.
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days@joy-caroline
Awesome topic, I LOVE this kinda stuff!
Hmmm…. *ponders over which best
most devastatingcharacter lie to use*Enter Dylan. He believes he can’t be loved. He wasn’t loved or appreciated by his father as a boy, and then he witnessed his mother’s death, which scarred him. He put all his worth into MMA fighting but didn’t think anyone could love love him, but maybe look up to him. Poor guy.
what we do in life echoes in eternity
-gladiator, 2000Great topic!!
I just realized that most of my stories have a BFL and I didn’t even try to put it in there!
I guess I’ll do my MC, Emilia Taylor, from ‘The Inventor’s Daughter.’
Emilia’s BFL is that she believes that her past defines her. She was told that her parents were responsible for the fire they were killed in, which burnt down 5 apartments and cost the lives of many people. She bears the weight and reputation of her parent’s actions but feels that they are innocent and wishes she could remember what happened that night. She’s afraid people will recognize her as the daughter of the inventor who was responsible for the fire! If she could remember what happened then she could prove them innocent, resulting in having a clean reputation.
She thought that if she had the answers that they would fill the void inside of herself, that she would be complete. So her journey is discovering what will define her, who her true family is.
Maybe that’s not so much of a lie, but that is just one of the many lies she believes.
INFJ/ChristianFiction/ IceCreamAddict/ StarGazer/ https://lamplighterletters.wixsite.com/mysite-1
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
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@gracie-j
Poor Sylvie. :'(
If that’s going easy on ya, I’d hate to think of your other characters’ lies. XD
Can I please please pretty please read that story when you’re finished with it? It sounds AMAZING and I LOVE that character’s lie! For someone who doesn’t plot those things out, you did such a brilliant job.
I wanna give Dylan a hug… poor dude. That’s so sad!
WOW. Emilia sounds like such an interesting and conflicted character! I was already interested in that story of yours when you first shared the synopsis, but now I wanna read it even more. XD
@joy-caroline
Thank you!!
I’m struggling with my first chapter and how it should begin! I’ve changed it a thousand times!😒 So I might be asking for some help/critiques coming up. I just feel like I’m info-dumping and telling too much in the beginning…I would appreciate any contributions when I put it out;)
@gracie-j
I really like your BLF!! I have a character in another book I’m starting who is in a similar situation and believes that same thing too! He falls into despair!
INFJ/ChristianFiction/ IceCreamAddict/ StarGazer/ https://lamplighterletters.wixsite.com/mysite-1
@gracie-j Correction: *BFL* lol
INFJ/ChristianFiction/ IceCreamAddict/ StarGazer/ https://lamplighterletters.wixsite.com/mysite-1
@joy-caroline Thank you! It’s probably going to be a long time before I’m done with it (my longest standalone planned to date) but I’ll definitely let you know!
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into daysHmm…. Many of my characters either have a flat arc or I can’t exactly pinpoint their lie….now I see why my stories sometimes end up flat. I suppose…..Maybe Kestrel from my Wings of Fire/Star Wars fanfic Curse of the Animus might work? She was born with a sort of power which could be called magic, and she thinks she has to carry this weight alone, without the help of her parents and brothers. (Her father has the same ability, it’s hereditary.) Then comes an attack on her father’s mountain hometown (by one of her evil ancestors who extended his lifespan by using his power), and she has to learn to 1) trust her family to help her defeat him, and 2) that it’s wrong to think no one understands what you’re going through. I know, it sounds rather boring when I write it like that, but…..I found it interesting! (I haven’t even gotten past the first few chapters though.)
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
@joy-caroline Ooh, that sounds so interesting!
I’ll choose my main character from something other than Ignite. 😉 My futuristic/sci-fi racing novel, Skyracer. The lie the protagonist believes is that her value is in what she does, in what she can accomplish. The more she accomplishes/the more people acknowledge her =her value going up. And if she messes up, then she’s worthless.
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com@joy-caroline
oy vey… I don’t plan character lies… umm they sorta develop with the character, but the first one in my mind would be Brianna Hakonik;
she was kidnapped as a child and raised in a very dark place and trained as an assassin and ring fighter and with it came a lot of trauma and abuse. As you can guess she’s bitter and aggressive and extremely distrusting.
Lie: She believes she’ll never be lovable and that she will always be evil; no one will be loyal to her, and she’ll always be alone.
I'm 'a homeschooler' because cookie-making writing artistic animal-whisperer isn't a job title
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
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@joy-caroline I know, right? XD
@maryg3 Thank you! Really? Cool! 🙂@joy-caroline
I love this topic! Thanks for starting it.
Personally, I don’t really plan these things out, so I can only identify my character’s lies after I’ve finished a first draft, sometimes much later (second or third draft). One story I’m just about to start the fourth draft and I’ve only just worked out the lies of the majority of the main characters.
Anyhow, I will tell you the lies of a couple of my main characters. For my previous WIP, my main character, Ilio believes that he is not worthy of love and that he is a monster. This is drawn, pretty obviously, from the fact that he’s a werewolf. He doesn’t feel like he can ever accept love from anyone because what if he hurts them?
His brother, Sholo, believes the same thing, that he is unlovable. Not because of any werewolf mutation, but because he’s a criminal and believes the things he’s done make him a bad person. Which they do, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not as bad a person as he believes he is.
INFP Queen of the Kingdom commander of an army of origami cranes and a sabre from Babylon.
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1379
TOTALLY get the struggle! I kind of feel like I’m info-dumping in my beginning as well. I would love to help with those critiques when you do want them!
Yay! Totally do!!
It does sound interesting! And I think you’ll find that the character’s lie becomes even clearer as you move along the road of the story.
Dang it. I was hoping you might give spoilers forEmbers.Wow, that sounds like an interesting lie! And a very relatable one as well. I can definitely connect with it.
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