Friday, September 9, 2011

Even a Chameleon Has Limits...


This is one of my pet peeves--some people are so plot driven that they fail to notice when they're characters don't fit in that plot. They can be great characters, but when they're placed into these cookie-cutter positions for a certain plot structure, they're uncomfortable and unhappy.

And the reader doesn't like it much either.

You may sit there looking at your little chameleon and say, "Oh, doesn't he look so cute?" But if he's miserable, your readers won't be able to connect to him. You won't be able to connect to him.

Don't force your characters into roles they don't fit. Craft the plot around them, not the other way around. And if you have a specific plot in mind that you're character's not meshing with, give him a different role or find a new character! Everyone's flexible as long as you don't force them into things.

Even a chameleon has limits.

♥tg

PS--New followers! SQUEE!! Welcome, welcome, welcome!

1 comment:

  1. This drives me mad in books! I'm so character-driven that it always seems outrageous to me when a character is created or used solely for some contrived, obviously forced plot point. Grrr!

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