As I fell asleep to ‘Thor’ (which kind of bummed be out because I love all the scenes in Asgard, especially if they have Loki in the, and I like the ending, and blah, blah, blah, but anyway), I had this repeating thought in my head. It wasn’t related at all to the movie.
Well, except for the Loki bit.
One of my main characters is, well, Loki. At least, based on interpretations I have, and the movie resonates with a lot of how I’ve created that character. I know a lot about this character. What his motivations are, what he lies to himself about, what he’s actually a god of…I know what’s at his core. Which I love. It makes him fun to write.
And while I was pondering this, and possibly drooling over the actor in his more frantic, emotional scenes (I love the subtle face twitches, the pans from the camera, all of it), I realized I had a problem.
And that problem wasn’t my obsession with a fictional movie character.
It’s that I don’t know what’s at the core of my protagonist.
I knew what her goals and motivations were. Externally. She wants to get rid of the voices, right? And discover the truth. Right?
But that’s not who she is. That’s not at the core of the character.
And when I had this revelation so many other things clicked for me. Notes from various readers and cp’s, why I struggle with certain scenes.
And now that I know Ronnie just wants to be heard, and have control over her own life, I have a much clearer picture of the character and how to tell her story.
Until that revelation I thought she was power hungry. Nope, not at all. Wow, that changes some misconceptions.
^_^
What’s at the core of your protagonist?
Love is at the core of all my protags, or at least if I had to sum it into one word, that would be it.
I don’t mean they love someone or anything romantic.
I mean that ~I~ love them. I love them, care about them, want them to succeed, hope they make smart decisions (and prattle them when they don’t), and caress them and hug them and kiss them and call them George.
(Remember that Bugs Bunny gag, with the abominable snow man?)
You said it yourself, but not in so many words. I read between the lines, see.
You are in LOVE with Loki. That passion makes him easy to write and understand, and you enjoy spending time with him.
Your words for MC were less flowery. She is the dud you dance with anyway because all the other girls are taken.
Maybe you love her, you’re just not ~in~ love with her.
Find a way to fall in love with her.
Problem solved, and you’re welcome.
😉
– Eric
In my new book, the protagonist just wants to be seen as herself. Everyone has perceptions of her that are false, including herself at the beginning of the book. Then, as things around her change, she is forced to change along with them and become her real self. And that’s a different person than the one she thought she was.
Hmmmm…. That actually sounds really confusing.
My protag hates core aspects of himself and believes that he is a mistake. He wants desperately to fix himself; to prove he’s capable and worthy–he’s scared of dying, but he’s more scared of messing up.
@Kate – makes sense to me. The journey of self – fantastic literary story ^_^
@Breanna – interesting combination…i’m going to be pondering that for a while…
@Eric – first, anything used with a Bugs Bunny reference to make a point is something I can understand. But more important, you’re completely right. This character has changed so many times, I tolerate her more than anything. I suppose I need to buy her dinner and drinks and figure out how to rekindle the romance ^_~