Zestful Blog Post #235
Honest authors know the human heart can harbor
contradiction. Everybody more or less wants it both ways—a pint of mint
chocolate chip every night and a trim
figure. Ninety-five miles an hour and
the cop gives you only a warning. Cheat on the spouse and maintain that spotless reputation. Essentially, yeah: ironclad
principles and a free pass when we
stray.
That’s one of the keys to understanding and developing
your characters, if you’re a writer. Humans are always trying to figure things
out, trying to live as painlessly as possible—but pain there will be, whether
one sticks to principles or not.
Needless to say, that’s also one of the keys to understanding
ourselves, our loved ones, and those we’d love to whack over the head with a
two-by-four.
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yes! you really nailed this. great insight into creating complex characters. I miss Rita Farmer, by the way! speaking of complex characters. - AD
ReplyDeleteHey, good to see you here! Thanks. I miss Rita too, but not sure whether she's gonna ride again... Working on new stuff...
DeleteThanks, Elizabeth, this rings true for me, and I like the idea of using it to create complex characters
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Veg!
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