Thursday, March 19, 2015
Writers I need your help
When I read a story if the character does something that seems completely out of character or unbelievable I have a hard time continuing on in the story. When I do continue on I find myself arguing with the author about the rest of the choices made for the character. I am completely outside of the story and no longer enjoying a wonderful book.
I have a character that has lost a child and on the birthday of that child I find her reaction is to shut down. She doesn't reach out to her other children and shower them with love or appreciate them more that day. In fact she pulls away and is short tempered with everyone.
Do you find this a believable reaction?
If not, what would you expect this character to do?
Are you like me and would this ruin the rest of the book?
Thanks for you help!
Happy writing.
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It certainly sounds realistic, though perhaps it would be better for her to grieve an hour or two at a time, and maybe attempt to do something only to be struck by the racking pain of her grief a time or three. If she doesn't grieve at all prior to that day, it'll either be far more or far less realistic, depending upon the character's personality. The short temper is also going to depend a lot upon the character. Just my thoughts, of course.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help. I agree that she has to try and engage with her family but gets overwhelmed at moments. I was just surprised that when I was writing it it just flowed out the exact opposite of how I thought she would react.
DeleteI feel like like in order to comment, I would need to actually read the story and get a more in-depth analysis of the character. However, going off of what I know, this seems plausible for your character. On the other hand, grief can make us do "out of character" things. Personally, I used to feel how you do, but then I realized that in life, oftentimes we act out of character, confusing both ourselves and those around us. This can lead to frustration and, when writing, further plot development. Good luck with your book! =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help. I agree that this twist definitely led to further plot development. I was very worried that her acting so out of what a person would expect would stop a reader from finishing the book.
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