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Young Writers Society


That's weird.



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Sun Jan 24, 2010 9:58 am
sugarxsnow says...



I was randomly browsing around the NaNoWriMo forum when I read about someone saying they don't know/hate their characters and do not know where their plot is leading them into. Now I find this ridiculously weird, although you may not.

But seriously.

How can a writer not know about/love their own character? Aren't they like, a manifestation of who the writer wants to be or wants to have around them? And the plot a manifestation of their hidden troubles/wishes/dreams; what they want from the world?


So how can you not know? I'm curious.
"A fish bit my hand this morning, and everything became trippy. Now with this coke and this cherry, I can beautifully rule the world!"

-Dino, @ Dino and Cake's Adventures in La-La Land (Coming Soon)

PS: "Alice in Wonderland" obsessed? You bet.
  





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Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:08 am
Lydia1995 says...



Hello,

You know what, I don't know either really. Maybe this person started writing and then decided that they didn't like the characters or the plot. I do that sometimes but usually I know my characters and they are as you say a manifestation of who I want to be or who I would like to know. So yeah, I don't know really...Its a mystery :P

~Lydia
Thinking about what you COULD achieve will get you no where. You've got to chase your dreams.
http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=188&t=92400 - Need a review?
  





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Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:37 am
sugarxsnow says...



Well, yeah... but mine is. I just realized. Before, I was only just subconsciously aware. But don't people write because they love to write what they write? I mean, why write at all if you know you'll hate it in the end anyway? So I was dumbstruck when I read that. Maybe because I've never experienced that yet, but I hope I don't. Really. Writing is my life. :lol:
"A fish bit my hand this morning, and everything became trippy. Now with this coke and this cherry, I can beautifully rule the world!"

-Dino, @ Dino and Cake's Adventures in La-La Land (Coming Soon)

PS: "Alice in Wonderland" obsessed? You bet.
  





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Sun Jan 24, 2010 4:32 pm
Rosendorn says...



*Moved to Writer's Corner*

Funny things happen in NaNo! I've gotten to read one, and the character reactions tended to bounce around. Also, since most people start with just a general idea, not really a set outline (those who do tend not to have this problem. Still happens, though) so their characters can change in unforeseen ways. at that point, they might grow to hate their character. Or their plot, if it gets twisted in ways they never imagined.

The latter happened to me in JulNo. My idea was very rough when I jumped in, and come 23k I had a completely and totally new plot direction. Thankfully I have a really good friend to help me with plots, or else I might have ended up hating it myself, lol

As for the "you can still hate your character even if you outline," I have sometimes hated my MC for my well-planned novel. That usually happens when I don't let her be herself, but it still happens. Usually when that happens I need to rewrite. In NaNo, you can't really rewrite, so most of the time you have to work with the character anyway. Or kill them off. I know at least one person on YWS killed off the MC of their NaNo.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:20 am
Hippie says...



sugarxsnow wrote:Aren't they like, a manifestation of who the writer wants to be or wants to have around them? And the plot a manifestation of their hidden troubles/wishes/dreams; what they want from the world?

No. The common term for a character who is someone the writer wants to be or have around is a Mary-Sue. Good fictional characters tend to be not so nice in real life. Who wants to read about perfect characters. I think I'd hate my current MC in real life because he's a selfish coward, but I do like working with him in an author to character relationship. It's different. And plots aren't always about the author's troubles/wishes/dreams, although they can be.
Q: Where do you go to buy shoes?

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Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:50 pm
Kelcia says...



I agree with Hippie. My main character (created when I was about, uh, nine,) was originally me as I had always wanted to be. As I look back at her as she was then, knowing what I do now, I can see that she was a complete Mary-Sue.

When I gave her her own personality and her own weaknesses ( being overly polite is one. Nope, not me!), I began to see her as herself, and not as me. Naturally, some parts of the author's personality get mixed into the character; That can't be helped.

Self-inserts are deadly. Watch out for them. Try not to create YOURSELF with a different face and name.
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Is it just me, or are the plot bunnies taking advantage of my ADD?

OmnomnomRandomPlotDetourOmnomnom

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