Writing Neurodivergent/The Psychological Issues of Characters

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  • #202200
    whaley
    @whalekeeper
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      Well, it’s more like Pilgrim enters a new status quo because he’s moving to the main location in the story.

      He’s outwardly calm and present for his dad. His dad is immature and might spiral without somebody to stick by him. So that paints Pilgrim in a good light even if it’s hurting him.

      The exhaustion is strong with this one

      #202201
      whaley
      @whalekeeper
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        I almost think of character traits as plot points, so I’m still rearranging these thoughts in my head. XD

        The exhaustion is strong with this one

        #202202
        Koshka
        @koshka
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          @whalekeeper

          I already have that! Perhaps I have made some better-than-bad choices!

          Yay!

          …What about the first few chapters of the book, though? I want to set him up as likable then, but the beginning doesn’t include any huge brave decisions because it’s setting up the status quo.

          The status quo is him trying to be “comfortable” or whatever, right? So foil it. Have him see someone else do something “uncomfortable” but right. Let him realize that was the right thing to do. This could be a thing he hears about, or something you see for all of one scene, but something that’ll leave enough of an impact for him to think back to later.

          Pull out that sense of humor in his first scene, in how he views the world. Give a glimpse of who he could be, wants to be, even if he doesn’t realize it.

          A cup of tea is cheaper than therapy.

          #202203
          Koshka
          @koshka
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            Ack, my slow typing…

            A cup of tea is cheaper than therapy.

            #202205
            whaley
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              @koshka

              Have him see someone else do something “uncomfortable” but right. Let him realize that was the right thing to do.

              That’s already in my outline, too!! Golly, I have no idea what I’m doing but at least it seems to be logical. 😂

              Pull out that sense of humor in his first scene, in how he views the world. Give a glimpse of who he could be, wants to be, even if he doesn’t realize it.

              Awesome, I will shove that into my notes.

              Ack, my slow typing…

              You’re good. 😂 Words of wisdom are heavy upon the fingers.

              The exhaustion is strong with this one

              #202207
              whaley
              @whalekeeper
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                @ellette-giselle

                Anything to add to Koshka? Since you sorely desired to smack my character, hehe

                The exhaustion is strong with this one

                #202208
                Koshka
                @koshka
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                  @whalekeeper

                  Sounds like you’re all set to me!

                  Words of wisdom are heavy upon the fingers.

                  Oh my word. XD That needs to be a tag line

                  A cup of tea is cheaper than therapy.

                  #202209
                  Ellette Giselle
                  @ellette-giselle
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                    @whalekeeper

                    no, not really! I like her ideas. I have written quiet moody characters, but I don’t know if they’re quite like this.

                     

                    I have a current moody character, but he’s not super likeable. (except that he happens to be all my reader’s favorite) he’s doing the right thing, but he kinda hates the world. (and has good reason to) But then he is super, super tender and almost flips when he’s around his kid cousin. So yeah, he’s like that. But I’m not really trying to make him likeable. I’m just going to let him grow on people as the story goes.

                    No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.

                    #202217
                    whaley
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                      @ellette-giselle

                      I’m just going to let him grow on people as the story goes.

                      That makes sense. Is he a side character? I feel as if side characters are given more grace when it comes to these things because the story’s POV doesn’t depend on them. Protagonists with that personality are more difficult because readers don’t want to deal with that right off the bat.

                      Heck, protagonists in general are hard. It’s so easy to make them boring, and half the time, the reader is okay with the protagonist but doesn’t love them. (A tangent. Anyway…)

                      The exhaustion is strong with this one

                      #202219
                      Ellette Giselle
                      @ellette-giselle
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                        @whalekeeper

                        Nope, he’s an MC. But it’s a three-way POV, so there are two other MCs.

                        He’s also an interesting character because of his job…. so he has that going for him.

                        No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.

                        #202223
                        whaley
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                          @ellette-giselle

                          But it’s a three-way POV, so there are two other MCs.

                          Three-way POVs for the win. 🙃 I’m doing the same thing with my dream project. It’s so complex though, takes forever to figure out. But it is easier to make one MC less likable and tuck their POV under the rug until they’ve developed enough to root for.

                          The exhaustion is strong with this one

                          #202230
                          Ellette Giselle
                          @ellette-giselle
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                            @whalekeeper

                            Ooo! Cool!

                            I did one with the first book in the series and I’ve decided to keep going with it thought the whole trilogy.

                            No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.

                            #202234
                            whaley
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                              @ellette-giselle

                              Multiple POVs are lowkey traumatizing for my brain because you have to tie so many different colored strings together. It’s madness. Madness, I tell yea.

                              Escape while you still can… *Gazes into the distance* *Flops face down into my pile of manuscripts*

                              The exhaustion is strong with this one

                              #202240
                              Ellette Giselle
                              @ellette-giselle
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                                @whalekeeper

                                 

                                Oh really? I love them. It’s so fun to start tying them together in subtle ways.

                                 

                                In the first one, all three end up frequenting the same cafe at different times, and only a few readers pick that up because I never state the name, but I describe the surroundings the same. Things like that.

                                 

                                One of the MC’s works with another MC’s sister, and the second MC hates the first one’s soul because he thinks that he’s trying to make his sister fall for him, when really MC one doesn’t even really know she exists. And neither of the two guys have met. 😂

                                No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.

                                #202242
                                whaley
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                                  @ellette-giselle

                                  Oh really? I love them. It’s so fun to start tying them together in subtle ways.

                                  Oh don’t get me wrong, I still love it.

                                  And neither of the two guys have met. 😂

                                  And that’s when things get fun, when characters are technically connected but they haven’t met yet

                                  The exhaustion is strong with this one

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