Help me turn a caricature into a real person.

[JoNightshade]

I have a secondary character who's giving me problems. He's the school principal, and both the main characters (good teachers who take their responsibilities seriously) despise him. Right now, he basically reminds me of the boss from The Office - he's annoying, non-PC in the worst way (while attempting to be PC), and thinks everyone is his friend even though everyone hates him. He's not as extreme as the guy from the Office, but you get the idea. Basically he's always hanging around "checking up" on everyone and being annoying.

The problem with this is that he's a caricature. I don't want a caricature, that's not what I'm writing. Right now he's easily identifiable as "the baddy," and I want to make things more ambiguous. I want him to seem like a real person, and I want to create a little sympathy for him in the mind of the reader.

So. Things that need to stay:

1. My female MC hates him because she thinks his attitude toward the teenage guys (ie football and basketball players) encourages the boys to objectify women.
2. My male MC hates him because he tries to be TOO PC around him, to the point of awkwardness. (MC is disabled. Later, MC learns the principal sent out a memo about him to the other teachers before he came, in a misguided attempt to make sure everyone behaved "appropriately.")

Any ideas? Really, anything. I'm just not sure where to go with this and right now any suggestions would be helpful just to help me dialogue with myself.

Thanks in advance. :)

[Shady Lane]

I have this teacher that I really hate, but he has these two ADORABLE toddler twin girls. So it's really hard to hate him when he's showing you their picture and pushing them around in their double stroller. Just a thought.

[dempsey]

Perhaps he got reprimanded awhile back for inadvertent non-PC behaviour (think "man compliments woman on a blouse, woman sues man for sexual harassment") and is now overzealous in trying to be PC?

[RLB]

I'd say just flesh him out more. Show more of his struggles and obstacles. Maybe he feels inadequate in his marriage or his job. Maybe his kids hate him. Maybe he hasn't been able to get a date in years. Who knows?

And as to the Michael Scott character in the Office, yes he's crazy over-the-top, yes, I cringe when he opens his mouth, but I also think the writers have done a good job of humanizing him. There are many times when I feel sorry for him- not just embarrassed for him, but actually sympathetic. Which surprises me because he can be so offensive!

[Rolling Thunder]

I think every character should follow this equation: Back story of character + identifiable moral center = four dimensional character.

Back story = What the character went through earlier in life and how it molded the person.
I M C = The value the character holds most dear; be it good or evil.

Both can be paragraphs long, written into the story or simply kept as notes for your own use, or simply one sentence you never stray from.

[RedScylla]

Not knowing what POV you're using, my first thought was--just because the male MC hates him, it doesn't mean you can't help the reader appreciate that the misguided memo was at least well-intentioned. That at least makes the principal a character with good motivations.

[JoNightshade]

Okay, how about this? He shows off photos of his kids constantly. Male MC thinks they're cute, forgives him for a bit - until he's a jerk again. Then MC hates him totally. THEN MC finds out from female MC that the principal never sees these kids he's so proud of... he cheated on his wife, and she got mad and left and took the kids with her. (And I know a dude who's rotten at male-female relationships but ADORES children - I can use him as the model.)

[JoNightshade]

Not knowing what POV you're using, my first thought was--just because the male MC hates him, it doesn't mean you can't help the reader appreciate that the misguided memo was at least well-intentioned. That at least makes the principal a character with good motivations.

It's third person, but stays close with the male MC. And he DOES know the memo was well-intentioned, but he's still pissed off.

I went to school with a guy who only had one arm. One day the mildly-retarded older brother of my classmate came with her to school. Not knowing any better, trying to be cool, he was like "Hey, man, what happened to your arm? Were you in an accident or something?" The answer he got was "What the hell is wrong with you? F*** off!"

I think of the principal as the kind of guy who would unthinkingly ask a complete stranger such a question.

[dawinsor]

Okay, how about this? He shows off photos of his kids constantly. Male MC thinks they're cute, forgives him for a bit - until he's a jerk again. Then MC hates him totally. THEN MC finds out from female MC that the principal never sees these kids he's so proud of... he cheated on his wife, and she got mad and left and took the kids with her. (And I know a dude who's rotten at male-female relationships but ADORES children - I can use him as the model.)

Making him a jerk about his kids might defeat the purpose of trying to round him out and make him less one-dimensional.

When I run into this, I write a bit from the POV of the one-dimensional bad guy, trying as honestly as I can to make his actions plausible and even reasonable, though from him own slanted viewpoint. I don't put what I write in the story directly, just use the insights it gives me into why he acts as he does.

[RedScylla]

Okay, so is he really bad and you're trying to throw us off the scent, or is he really good, but just kind of a moron?

[JoNightshade]

He's neither good nor bad, he's just a person. And yeah, he's a moron.

[JoNightshade]

Maybe he gets his kids every other weekend? :)

[ClaudiaGray]

To me this guy sounds very lonely.

[a_sharp]

Sounds like he's a social moron but not really stupid. He's insensitive maybe? Possibly mild autism? Some other disorder that affects his ability to converse? And he's had to overcome these to get where he is, and he resents "normal" people who seem to interact socially without effort.

Just an idea. Sounds like a good story.

[katiemac]

Okay, how about this? He shows off photos of his kids constantly. Male MC thinks they're cute, forgives him for a bit - until he's a jerk again. Then MC hates him totally. THEN MC finds out from female MC that the principal never sees these kids he's so proud of... he cheated on his wife, and she got mad and left and took the kids with her. (And I know a dude who's rotten at male-female relationships but ADORES children - I can use him as the model.)

I'd feel more sympathetic if the wife cheated on him, not the other way around.

And someone already mentioned that The Office writers have done a great deal of making a real human character - mostly out of his loneliness. I point to the episode where Michael shows a tape of him when he was younger. To answer the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?", Micheal answers, "I wanna be married and have 100 kids so I can have 100 friends, and no one can say no to being my friend." Those watching the tape with him then ask him if he was ever married, if he had kids, or if he even had a girlfriend - the answer is no. They then say, "So you didn't get to be who you wanted to be." "No, I guess not."

[JoNightshade]

Sounds like he's a social moron but not really stupid. He's insensitive maybe? Possibly mild autism? Some other disorder that affects his ability to converse? And he's had to overcome these to get where he is, and he resents "normal" people who seem to interact socially without effort.

Just an idea. Sounds like a good story.

Thanks! Actually what you suggested sounds more like my MC.

Whiiiiich made me realize something. Okay, so my MC is "outside" of normal. Which does not bother him unless "normal" people want him to join them. I took this from how I always felt as a kid. I always got told things like, "If you would just ____, you could be so popular/pretty/whatever!" Which of course made me retaliate by doing just the opposite to prove I didn't WANT to be popular/pretty/whatever. Anyway, at one point when my MC gets particularly pissed off, he goes on a rant about how most people live inside this "box" where everyone is trying to be basically the same. And to justify their lives, they have to feel sorry for the people on the "outside" and try to bring them in-- try to feel like they're helping them become "normal."

To my MC, the principal (whose name just became Vince, BTW) represents all that is normal. Big friendly guy who likes kids who play sports and do all the normal stuff. Sooo I think he has to be very normal in that sense. Wife, 2.5 kids, two cars, whatever. And he feels sorry for people who are unable to attain this "dream."

But I think Claudia hit it. This guy is lonely. He's trying to be friendly to everyone and help everyone because he himself is not satisfied, but he thinks he should be. Maybe his relationship with his wife and kids appears to be good, but isn't. Maybe his wife and kids don't really like him.

Ooo, maybe at some point in the story his wife should leave him.

[wee]

I have a secondary character who's giving me problems. He's the school principal, and both the main characters (good teachers who take their responsibilities seriously) despise him. Right now, he basically reminds me of the boss from The Office - he's annoying, non-PC in the worst way (while attempting to be PC), and thinks everyone is his friend even though everyone hates him. He's not as extreme as the guy from the Office, but you get the idea. Basically he's always hanging around "checking up" on everyone and being annoying.

The problem with this is that he's a caricature. I don't want a caricature, that's not what I'm writing. Right now he's easily identifiable as "the baddy," and I want to make things more ambiguous. I want him to seem like a real person, and I want to create a little sympathy for him in the mind of the reader.

So. Things that need to stay:

1. My female MC hates him because she thinks his attitude toward the teenage guys (ie football and basketball players) encourages the boys to objectify women.
2. My male MC hates him because he tries to be TOO PC around him, to the point of awkwardness. (MC is disabled. Later, MC learns the principal sent out a memo about him to the other teachers before he came, in a misguided attempt to make sure everyone behaved "appropriately.")

Any ideas? Really, anything. I'm just not sure where to go with this and right now any suggestions would be helpful just to help me dialogue with myself.

Thanks in advance. :)

What is he overcompensating for? He seems socially inept -- why?

Here is an example. I know a person who is socially inept but I'm not sure she knows it. She either states things too strongly than is called for, or is too nonchalant and makes others uncomfortable. I think it stems from a desire to be seen as "the best" at something, anything, and a deep loneliness. This same person found friends with similar interests online (she likes sports that aren't very common), found a local group to hang out with that likes those same things -- and is acting more normal lately than I've ever known her. Her behavior & oddness were worse the more socially isolated she was.

To me your character sounds like he has a weird social affect. Perhaps you can make him sympathetic by showing a scene where he overhears coworkers making plans for extra-curricular fun, and thinks about going home & eating a can of beans for dinner, or whatever. Perhaps that he is a little weird in his dealings with others because he is very lonely & is trying to reach out to other people doesn't know how.

Maybe, if he is not to be too evil in your story, by the end he has met someone new or made a new friend, and starts finding his place in life?



wee

[FennelGiraffe]

I went to school with a guy who only had one arm. One day the mildly-retarded older brother of my classmate came with her to school. Not knowing any better, trying to be cool, he was like "Hey, man, what happened to your arm? Were you in an accident or something?" The answer he got was "What the hell is wrong with you? F*** off!"

I think of the principal as the kind of guy who would unthinkingly ask a complete stranger such a question.

For me,this doesn't work with what you said earlier:

1. My female MC hates him because she thinks his attitude toward the teenage guys (ie football and basketball players) encourages the boys to objectify women.
2. My male MC hates him because he tries to be TOO PC around him, to the point of awkwardness. (MC is disabled. Later, MC learns the principal sent out a memo about him to the other teachers before he came, in a misguided attempt to make sure everyone behaved "appropriately.")
What I get from the first point is that the principal admires/envies athletes. Maybe he was never very athletic, but his dad was really into sports and criticized him for not making the team in high school. Which is why he still thinks being good at sports is a big deal and shows favoritism towards the guys on the team now.

Put that together with the second, and it suggests He's got this whole thing going where physical prowess is tied up with being masculine. He's really, really uncomfortable with physical disability, especially when it's a guy that's disabled. That's why he's bending over so far backwards trying to be PC, and why he assumes everyone else is as uncomfortable as he is. It isn't anywhere in his frame of reference that someone could look at the male MC as anything but a pitiful cripple. That's why I don't think he would blurt out a clueless question. I think he would be overly solicitous, instead.

So put something in his backstory to explain that discomfort. Maybe when he was a kid (young, like 8 or 9) he caused an accident that put his best friend in a wheelchair. The friend's family moved away shortly thereafter so he never got to learn how to relate to the friend afterward, and he has felt guilty ever since.

Maybe have him get injured--nothing permanent, just put him on crutches for a while--and show how it makes him feel. Maybe set up a situation where he has to accept help from the male MC.

______

Umm, err, well, I think I got carried away there. :o

That's the character I imagined from what you said. Your character may be entirely different.

[johnnycannuk]

I'm with ClaudiaGray... he sounds lonely. Maybe his twins were killed in a car wreck or a house fire along with his wife and he goes home to an empty apartment, with only that picture to remind him of them. He could be naturally socially awkward and trying desperately to be liked, but it constantly backfire, since during his marriage, his wife was the social butterfly.

Perhaps a little depressing, but give him more depth.

[AllisterGrim]

While lonely does fit, it sounds almost too much like the office for my taste.

One thing I like to do in cases like this is imagine that the unlikable character is the MC. Suppose he was the hero? Here's just a few ideas that may spark something...

I put the pal in principal! The principal is a good guy deep down. The reason he got into the education business in the first place is because he wanted to help kids. Suppose for example, that one of his students a long time ago committed suicide, and he feels guilty about it. Maybe he didn't listen to the student when he tried to tell him about his life, or maybe he saw something wrong with the kid and didn't know how to get him to talk about it. Ever since then he tries overly hard to "relate to the young people".

Ever know an older guy that would try to make those cheesy over the top attempts to seem cool ("I know you aren't 'jiggy' with trigonometry")? His sexist attitudes, etc are because of his generation... and he tries overly hard to get rid of them. He's trying to adapt, to be approachable to the kids, he's just hopelessly unaware of just how out of touch he is.

One of the Kids - Maybe he became an educator in the first place because he loved being in school. Maybe he was in the A crowd once upon a time, and he thinks everyone is his friend because he is secretly trying to relive the old days. So he pals around with the Football players, tells everyone about the time when he helped win the state championship, etc.

Every once and awhile he has to stop being a kid, and do one of his principally duties, but he isn't happy about it. Really the guy is Peter Pan. Maybe there is something charming about his enthusiastic attitude about life. Maybe this is all his escape from his job being crappy or his wife being a shrew, or a life that isn't where he hoped it would be. Maybe we feel bad for him when he realizes he isn't cool, or that no one is old enough to remember all the tv shows he liked when he was a kid. He has one of those moments where he feels old, or is conscious of just how much of his life passed him by. Imagine some obnoxious but energetic guy getting crushed by a callous remark.

Living under a shadow - Suppose he's only acting all superfriendly to everyone because he's trying to advance, and he wants it so badly that he tries waaaaay too hard. Outside of his profession, he's normal maybe even likable. But he has this overriding desire to be superintendent, to advance up the chain, and his disparate politicking takes the form of being obnoxious.

Maybe his father had exacting standards, and he is spending his career trying to prove to dad that he isn't worthless. Maybe he is scared to be himself because of some horrible failure he had. Take him out of his environment and out of his private hell of a rat race, and he's a good guy.

[JoNightshade]

Haha, okay, guys, now you're all making him TOO sympathetic! :) No tragic history for him. I think this is it:

One of the Kids - Maybe he became an educator in the first place because he loved being in school. Maybe he was in the A crowd once upon a time, and he thinks everyone is his friend because he is secretly trying to relive the old days. So he pals around with the Football players, tells everyone about the time when he helped win the state championship, etc.

Every once and awhile he has to stop being a kid, and do one of his principally duties, but he isn't happy about it. Really the guy is Peter Pan. Maybe there is something charming about his enthusiastic attitude about life. Maybe this is all his escape from his job being crappy or his wife being a shrew, or a life that isn't where he hoped it would be. Maybe we feel bad for him when he realizes he isn't cool, or that no one is old enough to remember all the tv shows he liked when he was a kid. He has one of those moments where he feels old, or is conscious of just how much of his life passed him by. Imagine some obnoxious but energetic guy getting crushed by a callous remark.

This is awesome. He really does want to be buddies with all the "cool guys" in school. And I have some ideas for a "crushing" moment. Yes!

I also realized (whist napping) that the problem isn't so much with the principal as how my MC sees him. Everything in the book is filtered through the MC's perspective, and right now I have him expressing exactly one response towards the principal: annoyance verging on anger. So I think I'm going to work on making their relationship more textured. At the beginning, Vince will do a couple of little annoying things, but MC will brush it off because he wants this new job to work out well and he hardly knows him. But then as MC gets to know him better, he realizes he doesn't like him at all because of what he does. Ultimately he'll say something really mean (because nothing seems to phaze the principal, and MC thinks the guy is too dense to understand) and then afterwards realize that he really cut the guy deeply. And possibly he will apologize.