[My Guest Post] Alien Character vs Characterization

Hi everyone,

I resumed my guest post for Apex Book Company this month with a post about the difference between characters and characterization. I end with a writing prompt that fleshes out this concept. The prompt was to write a classified ad from one alien to another.

Here’s a quote from the article:

To me, developing a character is part of my world-building process. From descriptions to occupation to personality quirks, the characters I design are part of a “world” I use to tell a story. The setting and the characters are tools that can function independently of any plot.

Characterization, on the other hand, is the glue that ties a character back to the plot. Maybe a birth defect isn’t just a character flaw, the hero finds out the villain maimed him as a child. Maybe an aura of confidence isn’t just an attribute, but the result of great upbringing by the character’s mother. — SOURCE: Writing Prompt: Write a Personal Ad from One Alien to Another at Apexbookcompany.com

If you’re curious, pop on over and give Writing Prompt: Write a Personal Ad from One Alien to Another a read. Then, why not challenge yourself and see if you can’t characterize an alien?

May 12, 2011
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Favorite Couple in a Genre Novel

Can’t believe I’ve been talking about genre for the past week. Today’s post is the end of a seven day run, and after today I’m going to take a short break because all the books I’ve read are starting to run together. Which is never a good thing, to be sure!

So what is my favorite couple in a genre novel? Tricky question. Tricky, tricksy. In my head, I automatically separate a romance novel (including paranormal) from any straight-up adventure novel. Why? Well, because I view romance novels as being heavily focused on relationships. For dark fantasy, which is the genre I like to read, I enjoy a good romantic relationship if there’s other things going on in the story. My answer today may surprise you. And I’ll tell you why in a minute.

My favorite couple in a genre novel is…

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

Wizard's First Rule by Terry GoodkindRichard Cypher and Kahlan Amnell from the first book in Terry Goodkind’s series called “The Sword of Truth.” The book is dubbed Wizard’s First Rule.

To be clear, they’re my favorite couple — until they get together.

Okay, let me back up for a second and explain this little Gordian knot before your heads explode. The reason why I like this romantic relationship is because it’s one that, from the start, is never supposed to be consummated. They cannot touch one another. In this book, we don’t know how uber-powerful-rare either one of them is. We know they are battling evil and we know they are falling in love in the midst of all these chaotic things.

But they can’t touch. No smooches. Not even a little peck on the cheek. If she did, she would turn Richard into a mindless slave that did whatever she wanted.

To me, that’s impressive worldbuilding and great conflict because there’s a tangible reason why these two kids shouldn’t be together. Kind of like Buffy and Angel. They get happy, Angel loses his soul and changes back into Angelus. So they can never be happy. Ever.

The reason why I said only the first book, is because although this premise is inventive, they eventually get married and discover they’re not as limited as they thought. (If at all.) The first book is, by far, the strongest one in their relationship because their love happens gradually, highlighting how they get together and how they’re vested in one another. As the series continues, the characters become more and more powerful, and the relationship arc begins to look the same, even with the obstacles and other women thrown in their way. The minute they become oh-so-powerful, my interest wanes because of the type of reader that I am. To connect with the characters, I tend to get into those that don’t evolve into (for lack of a better word) gods.

Now, what’s funny about all of this, is that Wizard’s First Rule is Terry Goodkind’s first novel. I thought it was a solid first for his characters and for his work. The story does teeter more on the dark side, so this is more of an adult novel than one I’d recommend for kids.

Previous Days

April 26, 2011
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Most Annoying Character (Type)

Well, I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. Today I’m supposed to talk about my most annoying character, but I’m going to alter that slightly to “type.” It’s not any one particular character, but it’s the way that they are portrayed.

Yeah, okay I’m not a fan of Jar Jar either…but let’s not go there.

There’s a particular thing that bugs me about characters. Useless characters bother me to no end. You know the kind. They’re the ones you wonder why the author threw them in the book when they have no bearing on the plot or feel like an add-on just to get killed. They’re there to highlight the pretty world or culture, but don’t do anything except turn into meat shields or make the main characters look more competent than they really are. They’re a pet, a token, a staple. But you feel nothing and every time they show up you skip through that section to get back to the main plot.

Mind you, I have no problem with a red shirt. Yes, sometimes the pawns-to-the-slaughter are necessary, but I like to have an emotional or a vested interest in the character. Adding in a character to be killed without characterizing the meat shield doesn’t horrify or scare me. It tells me very terrible things are happening, but not to anyone I care about.

Sheesh. I feel like I’m not making any sense. Okay, let me try to explain it another way. Take the news for example. Say a tsunami hits. Terrible thing. Bodies washed up on the beach. People starving. Yes, this is an emotional gut punch. Now, watch an interview the little girl who lost her puppy or the grandmother who managed to survive. Right there, I feel something because I identify with them. I may not have experienced their specific pain, but I relate to them. And it sticks.

Does that make sense? Meat shields for the sake of having meat shields doesn’t do anything for me — even if it’s to express the terrors that lurk in the night. I’m not a fan of gore porn or gratuitous violence for the sake of having it, nor am I a fan of exploring setting for the setting’s sake. I like my plots tight and my characters to have a purpose.

Er… Something like that.

Previous Days

April 25, 2011
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A Character I Most Identify With (Or Wish I Was)

Yuna from Final Fantasy XToday I’m talking about a character again. This time, I’m naming a character I most identify with (or wish I was).

This task is a huge challenge for me, because one of the characters I really admire doesn’t come from a book. She comes from a video game. When I was a lot younger, I used to identify with characters more often — especially in high school when I read many coming-of-age novels. Now, though, it takes a lot for me to immerse myself in a character. I find there’s no better way for me to do that than through an RPG-style game or by watching a television series like Buffy: the Vampire Slayer or Doctor Who.

For the character I most identify with, I would have to say that honor goes to Yuna. It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Final Fantasy, nor that I enjoy watching anime or delving into Asian mythology. The illustration pictured here comes from Wikipedia to help you see what Yuna looked like during Final Fantasy X, before her character transformation in Final Fantasy X-2.

Yuna starts out by doing what is expected of her, no matter how much it hurts her or puts herself down. In the beginning, she is resigned to her fate. Through the course of the story, she finds her own voice through the support of her friends and the love of one of her guardians. The journey she takes transforms her from a passive female character to a strong one. Not only does she deal with tragedy, but she turns down the hand of a man she doesn’t love, watches her lover die, and fights back regardless of the odds. She is the character who never, ever gives up.

It is Yuna’s persistence and perseverance I greatly admire. Her travels aren’t easy, but with the help of her lover and her friends, she sees her task all the way through to the end.

Previous Days

April 24, 2011
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My Favorite Genre Character

Okay, so I thought today’s part of the 30 Day Genre Meme hit a little too close to home. For those of you who are familiar with gaming, this is the part where I tell you about my character. My favorite character that is.

The only trouble is, I found it was really hard to pinpoint just one! Memorable characters are important to me for different reasons. In some cases, I remember a character because they were different, so unusual in the way that they were portrayed it stuck out in my mind. Kind of like the characters in the Otherland series by Tad Williams or The Stand Unabridged by Stephen King, where an array of characters from different ages, backgrounds and cultures, all come together to tell a story.

The Morgaine SagaFor female characters, my vote would be Morgaine from the time-traveling series written by C.J. Cherryh. She’s the reluctant hero, the keeper of the mysteries, the ultimate mistress — but is she? A mysterious character, everything we know, imagine and feel about her is filtered through the viewpoints of other characters. In this way, for this science fantasy setting, Morgaine is an outstanding character not in the way she’s described, but for all the things we don’t know. You can read about Morgaine in a collected tome called The Morgaine Saga.

Dragon Wing Book CoverFor male characters, my vote is Haplo from The Death Gate Cycle series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The first book in the series is called Dragon Wing. Like Morgaine, Haplo is enigmatic but for a different reason. Part of why I like his character so much, is not because of his fierce independence, but because Haplo is what I call an “intentional” character. Everything that he is and does–independent, reluctant to trust, determined–is because of the setting. In my mind, The Death Gate Cycle represents an excellent example of how worldbuilding can (and should) have an impact on the main character’s appearance, personality and demeanor.

In both of these examples, what drew me to these characters was the technique the authors employed. Other memorable characters stand out in my mind due to their inventiveness and their quirks and whether or not they’re different from the others in the book.

Previous Days

April 21, 2011
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