change of character

Ruth2 · Jul 19, 2009

I've got an MC, female, who I envisioned as a deep soulful tragic figure. Lord knows her whole life has been one tragic thing after another. So what does she do? Turn snarky and funny on me. And not quite as deep as I thought she'd be. She's got a PhD in Slavic history for pete's sake, so why does she feel younger than her years?

So. Anyone else out there have a character that stood up, flipped the bird at them and went on their merry way (meaning she'll do the story but in her own way, thank you very much) without messing up the WIP?

Thanks all for any help, condolences or guffaws.

Matera the Mad · Jul 19, 2009

Congratulations -- your character is not you! Yeah, I am finally getting reconciled with a young woman who didn't fit the role I cast her in, or rather, fit it in ways I hadn't planned. I got about six chapters in and said to myself, "Self, this is not working. Get her to talk." I got her to talk, and we proceeded to Plan B, Sequel 2a, because Plan A could never have happened. My bad, I communicate better with my male characters.

Ruth2 · Jul 19, 2009

Thanks Matera the mad! Oh she's definitely not me.

My fear is that she will come off as too intellectually shallow to hold both a doctorate and a professorship at a university. We'll see....

errantruth · Jul 19, 2009

I'm happy to hear she's not too soulful and tragic and into Slavic history.

As someone who used to be surrounded by Slavophiles and academia. I'm. Very. Happy.

Skye Jules · Jul 19, 2009

My character Alice Sheraton used to be whiny, then I re-wrote her and she finally said, "Screw you. I don't want to be a whiny bitch." She's not whiny anymore, but she does have problems with nerves.

maestrowork · Jul 19, 2009

I love it when my characters tell me, "you know what? I'll tell you MY story if you stop fooling with it."

Ruth2 · Jul 19, 2009

maestrowork: I thought I'd love it but... yikes. At least she's not a wilting wallflower... Tell the story her way? Oh yeah..

SkyeJules: Maybe I need to go back and see where she starts changing. Not too far into it-- pg.10 or so. I guess I can always tone down her snarkiness in revision if I have to.

errantruth: Well, she taught it and it does come in handy later in the book. But she doesn't dwell on it. She's got her own problems right now. Heh heh...

Thanks ya'll!

Wark · Jul 19, 2009

I had a character who was supposed to be a road-weary 26 year old woman, estranged from her husband and daughter, and recently cured with sci-fi wonder of her brain damage.

But she didn't write that way. She was really crazy. I hate the word, but she was a scamp. So, justify this...because...yeah, she was so depressed and full of fear that when her brain was fixed she was so accustomed to fear, that she became fearless.

Then, same book [TBOG, below], I have an 18 year old who was supposed to be chipper and instead is very stoic because she knows how she's going to get messed up and protheticed up.

Did I stay on topic?

Judg · Jul 19, 2009

Ph.d.'s are not necessarily deep. Just sayin'. So I wouldn't worry about that.

Ruth2 · Jul 19, 2009

Hey, Judg! Yeah, I've met a few who were 'bout as deep as a bandaid. And really she is deeper than she appears. But that snarky thing she does makes me wonder. It can all be an act, and probably is, but still.. she surprises me.A lot.

Wark: Oh yeah. You're definitely on topic Very much so.

Thanks, ya'll!

Silent Rob · Jul 20, 2009

Ruth2 said:
My fear is that she will come off as too intellectually shallow to hold both a doctorate and a professorship at a university. We'll see....

Believe me, shallowness (whether intellectual or otherwise) is no bar to holding either of those things

Ruth2 · Jul 20, 2009

Hey Silent Rob! What can I say? I never made it past my soph. year at college. LOL!

Thanks!

Wark · Jul 20, 2009

Judg said:
Ph.d.'s are not necessarily deep. Just sayin'. So I wouldn't worry about that.

True, my sleep doctor, who I had an appt with today, looks and acts like he is played by Bob Saget.

Mr Flibble · Jul 20, 2009

But that snarky thing she does makes me wonder. It can all be an act, and probably is, but still.. she surprises me.A lot.

I had a bit player like that. Every time he turned up, snark just flew outta his mouth. I finally figured out why.

Then he became one of my main characters (Because his ego is currently larger than Wales. He insisted the story was about him dammit! Everyone else was just ...well they weren't him, and so were boring) and I had to name the book after him.

Run with it!

Judg · Jul 20, 2009

Wark said:
True, my sleep doctor, who I had an appt with today, looks and acts like he is played by Bob Saget.

Well, Ph.d.'s and M.D.'s are not the same thing, but deepness is not a guaranteed commodity for either.

unicornjam · Jul 20, 2009

I don't recall this ever happening to me, but it might have. If a character I wrote had a certain personality and they deviated from it without any reason, I'd feel as if I were breaking character. That's just me.

Ruth2 · Jul 20, 2009

Hallo all!

unicornjam: (What does unicorn jam taste like??) Well, I don't mind her being a little snarky but she has a way of taking it beyond what I envisioned. I think it's a coping strategy-- that might work.

Judg: Oh yeah. I've known some MDs that you just wondered how they ever got out of med school.

IdiotsRUs: Well, she is my female MC. The male MC isn't lacking in the ego department either. They clash a lot.

Wark: I once had a therapist who looked like Dr Zhivago (Omar Shariff, in the good ol' days). When I met him I thought, "OMG I'm supposed to talk about my sex life with him???" He wasn't a twit... but I've met some who are. I'd no more trust my mind to them than I'd give a razor to a baby.

Thanks y'all!

change of character

Ruth2

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Ruth2

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda

errantruth

Skye Jules

March 15th: Issue 1 release

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Ruth2

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda

Wark

Mark Brockman

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

Ruth2

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda

Silent Rob

Riff-Raff

Ruth2

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda

Wark

Mark Brockman

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

unicornjam

Ruth2

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda