I just got back from a two week trip to England, Wales, and Ireland. It was wonderful and exhausting. And impacted my way of thinking. Not hugely mind you, it wasn't a strange planet I went to after all-- but it did change my own personal world view. It's not something major, but just another bit of fluff that modifies how I react to the world.
Any trip can have an impact on someone...a four day writer's conference, a family reunion, a two week trip to England. Yet some authors forget this. Especially in genre fiction, there is usually a heck of a lot of "things" going on- MAJOR things far bigger than a "trip across the pond". And yet ofttimes there is little to no change in the protagonist's view. They still think the same, react the same, etc.
One of the reasons I loved the tv show Farscape (and there are many many reasons- go watch it!) was the way the main character, John, changed because of what happened to him. As the series progressed his world view changed, his reactions changed- and we saw it.
The same has to happen with your characters. The reader has to see that whatever has happened to them- is changing who they are. Even in third person the reader gets a feel for the character's head...and that head shouldn't be the same at the end of the book as it was in the beginning...or the middle.
A few photos of the trip- what would change your character?
Great point, Marie. This is why I have trouble watching lots of the sitcoms out there. It drives me crazy to see characters making the same mistakes over and over and over again. Gah.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Even in a sitcom the characters need to change some- the Big Bang is a great example- Sheldon has changed the least but that's his personality. Thanks for coming by Shoshana!
DeleteGreat post. Thanks. Something authors often forget that characters must grow from the beginning to the end.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and coming by Charmaine :). I think sometimes WE know the character has changed, we just may not always show it ;).
DeleteMarie- locked out of Google for the moment...
Great point, Marie, Sometimes we are so busy changing where our characters are that we forget to change who our characters are. Or rather show what they are becoming. We think to ourselves that we've changed things. Our characters tend to go a lot of places but only on the outside, not the inside.
ReplyDeleteSharon
Very true, Sharon, the situation is more noticeable as it changes when we right. The character's world view not as much ;). Thanks for coming by and commenting!
DeleteMarie- locked out of Google for the moment..
Great photos, Marie. Wish I was there. My hubby keeps promising, but alas, visiting the British Isles, home of my father's birthplace, has always been my dream.
ReplyDeleteBeing a romance writer, i'd say that the physical attraction of the hero for the heroine and the heroine for the hero, when neither starts out liking each other much, opens their eyes to a new way of being, of digging deep into their emotional and ethical selves, tearing down the walls they've built around them in order to love.
Susan, you need to go! There are so many amazingly lovely places over there :).
DeleteThanks for coming by and commenting!
Marie- locked out of Google for the moment..
Those pictures make me want to visit Britain again. Not that I ever needed any extra encouragement. Which castle is in the first picture?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ken :). Yeah, pretty much no encouragement needed for me either! The first one is Kylemore Abbey/Castle in Connemara, Ireland. It was lovely!
Delete