tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post6027914653815136677..comments2024-02-12T15:15:51.364+02:00Comments on The Five Year Project: Writing a complex characterMisha Gerrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-90696294845931946522013-01-19T09:45:56.188+02:002013-01-19T09:45:56.188+02:00I agree with you. It's always a pity when a pl...I agree with you. It's always a pity when a plot falls flat because there's not any good characterization. <br /><br />:-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-85362584022665158352013-01-19T09:42:20.446+02:002013-01-19T09:42:20.446+02:00I agree with you 100%.I agree with you 100%.Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-29505660890183709922013-01-19T09:41:56.976+02:002013-01-19T09:41:56.976+02:00I love the sound of it. Makes perfect sense to me....I love the sound of it. Makes perfect sense to me. :-DMisha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-49845932746878898132013-01-19T09:40:45.388+02:002013-01-19T09:40:45.388+02:00Same here. Plot's important too, but I've ...Same here. Plot's important too, but I've read some great plot stories that were kept from excellence in my mind because there wasn't a character arc. Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-87248623904845411862013-01-19T09:39:48.328+02:002013-01-19T09:39:48.328+02:00Thanks! :-)Thanks! :-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-65943866347686002842013-01-19T09:39:33.106+02:002013-01-19T09:39:33.106+02:00I do that too!I do that too!Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-51125005870507467602013-01-19T09:39:18.734+02:002013-01-19T09:39:18.734+02:00Exactly. I'm definitely planning to do a post ...Exactly. I'm definitely planning to do a post on motivation in the near future. :-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-21017641415116404062013-01-19T09:37:48.599+02:002013-01-19T09:37:48.599+02:00I adore characters like that as well. I guess that...I adore characters like that as well. I guess that's why one of my main characters are written that way. Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-17494838400900370472013-01-19T09:36:20.683+02:002013-01-19T09:36:20.683+02:00Definitely. I generally develop mine on the page, ...Definitely. I generally develop mine on the page, because my point of view is that my characters arrive fully developed and I only need to get to know them. :-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-79119316832652070152013-01-19T09:34:36.354+02:002013-01-19T09:34:36.354+02:00Oh definitely. That'll probably be my topic fo...Oh definitely. That'll probably be my topic for next week. <br /><br />:-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-45017378205646034412013-01-19T09:33:04.645+02:002013-01-19T09:33:04.645+02:00I agree with you that caricatures are funny, but t...I agree with you that caricatures are funny, but then they're written for another purpose. <br /><br />When the book you're writing has a serious(ish) plot, it's better to have them be complex. <br /><br />Of course, that only my opinion, though.Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-28814480010512638642013-01-19T09:18:38.855+02:002013-01-19T09:18:38.855+02:00Thanks! Always happy to know people find something...Thanks! Always happy to know people find something to chew on on my blog, even if I didn't write it. :-DMisha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-91143232178739693462013-01-19T09:17:18.227+02:002013-01-19T09:17:18.227+02:00I generally tend not to go back to books, but I...I generally tend not to go back to books, but I'll definitely go hunting for sequels and other books by the author. Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-67596199910242882622013-01-19T09:16:13.526+02:002013-01-19T09:16:13.526+02:00Do true! Do true! Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-4675364346148168502013-01-19T09:15:44.978+02:002013-01-19T09:15:44.978+02:00So true! Feels that often times, I only have to wr...So true! Feels that often times, I only have to write down what my characters are telling me and it'll be fine. Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-54324372608888512672013-01-19T09:14:54.343+02:002013-01-19T09:14:54.343+02:00Definitely. All characters should have flaws. Flaw...Definitely. All characters should have flaws. Flaws can often be a source of conflict in a novel, so they're too good to waste. :-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-61142681062068314522013-01-19T09:13:34.521+02:002013-01-19T09:13:34.521+02:00Yeah that's so true. Contradictions are hard, ...Yeah that's so true. Contradictions are hard, though, but they are vital. Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-13150966465748055102013-01-19T09:12:27.300+02:002013-01-19T09:12:27.300+02:00Haven't read it, but that makes me want to. :-...Haven't read it, but that makes me want to. :-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-49194259026359761912013-01-19T09:11:50.828+02:002013-01-19T09:11:50.828+02:00That's so true!
By the time I finished a nov...That's so true! <br /><br />By the time I finished a novel, I never knew if I did enough to make my characters come across right. <br /><br />:-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-21448248834714893522013-01-19T09:10:07.519+02:002013-01-19T09:10:07.519+02:00Me too. I mean there are some very famous baddies ...Me too. I mean there are some very famous baddies who are card-board cut-outs, but that's very hard to do. <br /><br />I must say that I love seeing little glimpses of goodness in my baddies.Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-67935551177612776732013-01-17T13:35:46.090+02:002013-01-17T13:35:46.090+02:00Characters are more important than plot, if you as...Characters are more important than plot, if you ask me. Sure, I love a great plot as much as anyone, but even the best plots are even more entertaining when they're filled with compelling characters.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-40093337819392169712013-01-17T12:41:19.984+02:002013-01-17T12:41:19.984+02:00Great post! I'm still studying this aspect of ...Great post! I'm still studying this aspect of the craft, but I think the first thing that has to happen is we have to see the character in our minds and get to know them. If they aren't real in our head, they won't have a snowball's chance of being real on the page.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08516493326566981116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-72891877102093528222013-01-17T11:11:47.841+02:002013-01-17T11:11:47.841+02:00Some nice tips and observations here, Misha. I rea...Some nice tips and observations here, Misha. I read a good rule recently about 'the fudge test'. It said, by halfway through a book, no matter the genre, the reader should always have a good idea of how any one of the main characters would react if they were offered a free piece of fudge. <br /><br />Sounds stupid. But this actually quite a useful way of nailing down, in your own mind, exactly how a given character would act or react in a specific situation. Helps when you're fleshing out those complex little beasties.Neil Voglerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15306928741501293782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-8217791494177661732013-01-17T04:56:01.317+02:002013-01-17T04:56:01.317+02:00I'm a character gal all the way, so I love rea...I'm a character gal all the way, so I love reading and writing complex characters.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10680066584646789184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190412120537448720.post-26678289227952368402013-01-17T02:29:34.455+02:002013-01-17T02:29:34.455+02:00Yes, a villain should be a three-dimensional chara...Yes, a villain should be a three-dimensional characters. Should not be just bad people. :) Great post for writers.Ciarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15628488753277495111noreply@blogger.com