07-26-2017, 05:33 AM
I would like to once again thank everyone who posted here because just by coming back here and rereading this advice I pretty much was able to work out the problem I had with one of my characters in my head with no issue.
To add to this topic some more I would like to add this link I found
http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/faculty/lc...Heroes.pdf
It kind of lays out different types of "heroes" or protagonists. Something which I was referencing as I tried to solve this issue I had.
The issue was that I had a dilemma concerning what kind of hero or protagonist I wanted in my story. I was kind of looking at two types, one is the Mrs Brisby type as I like to call it. The type of hero so out of place that interacting in the environment they have been thrust into is a strange and frightening thing in it of itself. I like this kind of character a lot because they are very relatable, and they are very strong. Though Mr.s Brisby does very little in terms of what other heroes do on a regular basis (lift cars, fight monsters etc). It feels all the more impactful with her considering her life consists of little more than taking care of her family. So the simple act of speaking with an owl or meeting rats is terrifying. With the kind of story I am writing I feel like this kind of character could and I mean could work well. The story I am writing is of a grander scale and much more epic in nature, eventually the character learns how to operate in this world and grows into the mighty hero that we usually expect to see in a story of this kind.
The issue I find with this is that such a character would lack agency early on in the story, and perhaps through most of it. This is because the character has no right in being there in the first place. They have no experience and no agency in the events happening around them. Their power or agency in the story would be entirely dependent on how much is afforded to that character by the more powerful beings around them, much like Mrs Brisby. While it works in Brisby's case, considering her only goal is that of saving her family. This character I am writing I want to have farther reaching goals, ones that will ultimately have far greater impact on the world around her. I feel like a Brisby character might not work in this situation. Though perhaps that is just my lack of imagination and... even as I write this out I am unsure.
The other character type I was looking at is one that is perhaps a little more suited for this setting (One of large battles and powerful beings). Though not a total badass, someone who is more equipped to deal with warfare and the stresses that come from it. Someone like a bounty hunter thrust into the center of a conflict (still) far bigger than herself. Though she is able to better navigate the world and pull its strings to try and accomplish her own ends. She would still have more to learn ultimately but this character can adequately bring a fight to the table by herself rather than rely entirely on the help of those around her.
Sooo even as I typed this out I have made myself unsure again as I have thought about it. So if anyone has any thoughts or opinions please feel free to chime in.
Jordan Anthony Vex
To add to this topic some more I would like to add this link I found
http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/faculty/lc...Heroes.pdf
It kind of lays out different types of "heroes" or protagonists. Something which I was referencing as I tried to solve this issue I had.
The issue was that I had a dilemma concerning what kind of hero or protagonist I wanted in my story. I was kind of looking at two types, one is the Mrs Brisby type as I like to call it. The type of hero so out of place that interacting in the environment they have been thrust into is a strange and frightening thing in it of itself. I like this kind of character a lot because they are very relatable, and they are very strong. Though Mr.s Brisby does very little in terms of what other heroes do on a regular basis (lift cars, fight monsters etc). It feels all the more impactful with her considering her life consists of little more than taking care of her family. So the simple act of speaking with an owl or meeting rats is terrifying. With the kind of story I am writing I feel like this kind of character could and I mean could work well. The story I am writing is of a grander scale and much more epic in nature, eventually the character learns how to operate in this world and grows into the mighty hero that we usually expect to see in a story of this kind.
The issue I find with this is that such a character would lack agency early on in the story, and perhaps through most of it. This is because the character has no right in being there in the first place. They have no experience and no agency in the events happening around them. Their power or agency in the story would be entirely dependent on how much is afforded to that character by the more powerful beings around them, much like Mrs Brisby. While it works in Brisby's case, considering her only goal is that of saving her family. This character I am writing I want to have farther reaching goals, ones that will ultimately have far greater impact on the world around her. I feel like a Brisby character might not work in this situation. Though perhaps that is just my lack of imagination and... even as I write this out I am unsure.
The other character type I was looking at is one that is perhaps a little more suited for this setting (One of large battles and powerful beings). Though not a total badass, someone who is more equipped to deal with warfare and the stresses that come from it. Someone like a bounty hunter thrust into the center of a conflict (still) far bigger than herself. Though she is able to better navigate the world and pull its strings to try and accomplish her own ends. She would still have more to learn ultimately but this character can adequately bring a fight to the table by herself rather than rely entirely on the help of those around her.
Sooo even as I typed this out I have made myself unsure again as I have thought about it. So if anyone has any thoughts or opinions please feel free to chime in.
Jordan Anthony Vex
"What would you do for a better world?"