Into the Fire

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Particulars

Certain matters or particulars in our characters make them desirable or undesirable to some and vice versa to others. Who can know? Since we compose the story and create the characters, our aim is to make those characteristics we deem desirable to look and feel the same to our readers. What happens when we fail to do so?

 

Well . . . chances are if the character we make desirable or sympathetic to our standard declines to measure up to our readers’ standards, the best bet is those readers won’t like the book.

 

Writers at some point arrive at this conclusion: story is it. A good story told poorly will still win over readers whereas a good story told well will win over writers too. The arguments—or discussions, if you prefer—emphasize plot vs. characters but conclude with story trumping all.

 

I like female characters with some kind of spunk—even if it’s only in their thoughts. I can handle “fragile” characters provided they’re not self-absorbed and whiny. Whiny galls me, especially if the character is supposed to be a Christian. Which brings me to another dislike: weak Christian characters. If the character is new to the faith, weak is understood, but if the character has walked with the Lord for any number of years, give me a break. I’d rather read about worldly characters than those who act like the world but throw up a prayer now and then.

 

We’ll check out male particulars tomorrow.

 

God, I’m desperate for you. Infuse me, Holy Spirit. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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2 responses to “Particulars”

  1. s dayley Avatar
    s dayley

    I’ve been thinking alot about characters also. I prefer good, intelligent people with integrity. But the world also has flawed characters. Can a good character make a mistake, overcome that weakness, return to the good and still be liked by an audience? What about if he does it more than once?

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  2. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Thanks for stopping by, Susan, and taking the time to comment.
    I think it’s important for our own reading and writing preferences to know what kind of people we like to read and write about. Naturally, not everyone agrees, and that’s a good thing because the opportunities for all kinds of characters to appear in novels make them far more entertaining and imaginative to read for greater numbers of people.
    You raise an important premise. For me, if there’s a good heart there but real struggles, yeah, I could still care for the character, but I know some readers can be very “unforgiving”. It depends on your audience, I think. If you have time tomorrow, check out my description of what I prefer in male protagonists. It does address this issue (from my point of view).

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