Modern Good Reads discussion

A character has to be interesting, forget perfect. Our readers have so many alternative ideas we have to consider. Good person, rebellious, a little larceny thrown in and a streak of kindness. But most important he must able able to slip into different roles. Be the Protagonist for some and the Antagonist for others. Like the role of Bogarde in Casablanca. It also plays a different way in 'Fantasy' or 'Paranormal' do we look at van Helsing as hero or vampire killer? In Romance stories it is Rhett Butler that steps into both characters. Yeah, for me it is a double edge personality.

I have great affection for the anti-hero, nice guys are wasted on me...wow that says a lot about me doesn't it...lol.

Laurie: Almost Faemous wrote: "I have great affection for the anti-hero, nice guys are wasted on me...wow that says a lot about me doesn't it...lol."
This comment may not belong here, but it is meant in jest. You are probably the woman that tries to convert us evil souls and makes excuses for our misbehaving. If misbehaving is not all we do...LOL. Attracted to bad boys, one that will suffer for our redemption.
But as far as characters go, antagonist or protagonist as long ass they are understandable in their character, we cant just love them or hate them all the time.

Erich wrote: "Laurie: Almost Faemous wrote: "I have great affection for the anti-hero, nice guys are wasted on me...wow that says a lot about me doesn't it...lol."
This comment may not belong here, but it is mea..."

No, converting you into a nice guy, or making excuses for your misbehavior is definitely not on my agenda like I said nice guys are wasted on me...lol. In all seriousness in writing I just find them too one dimensional and too good to be true kind of thing.

Dianne wrote: "So there's an assumption that Erich is nice?"

That is not an assumption, that is a fact... maybe, a little, sometimes anyway..LOL Thanks for leaning to my good side!

Erich wrote: "Dianne wrote: "So there's an assumption that Erich is nice?"

That is not an assumption, that is a fact... maybe, a little, sometimes anyway..LOL Thanks for leaning to my good side!"

Now see I liked you better when I thought you were bad...lol.

Laurie , for you I will be whatever you like... but in real life I was anything but good. Policemen were my nemesis, churches locked their doors on me, and President sent men looking for me. Like me better now? Please.. maybe you must read my Savage Roads, a life well lived...LOL

Good guys are predictable, for me anyway I don't want to read it if I know what a character is going to do...boring. Reprobates on the other hand always surprise you.

Well this thread got off topic rather quickly...

anyway, Erich had a few good points:

"But most important he must able able to slip into different roles."

This, above all else, may be the basis for any main character I write. I'll go even further and say that the characters AROUND them can (and often times do) dictate which role is being played. In my case, the main character is both Hero and father-figure to one secondary character, love interest and old friend to another, but to a third character, he is like a son and that although he is strong, he also has a vulnerable side. As the main character, the reader sees all of this and realizes they are a real, rounded character.

"Be the Protagonist for some and the Antagonist for others."

This goes along with what I said above, and one of my favorite examples of this is Lindsay Buroker's character Sicarius from the Emperor's Edge series. He is an anti-hero, but definitely a protagonist to the reader (and the over arching story), but even to some of his team, he is seen as an antagonist. Even after the final pages of the series (7 books), he manages to bring terror in his "friends" with just a look.

I like this topic, really looking forward to seeing what others say!

I believe flaws are what make a character human and therefore we can identify with them, whether good guys or bad guys.

The similarity between the characters we create in our books and the images of those in the public eye is that they are both (most often) fiction. That's a given when writing a book but the 'characters' in the public eye are created by people who have a vested interest in their success, and the image created is usually far from the truth. When the facade breaks for whatever reason, we feel we've been played for fools and that creates ill will.

When characters fall of the pedestal we put them on we cheer because they were not able to hold on. We raised the platform knowing everything comes to an end. Politics and strange phenomenon are a daily occurrence the same as in books. Everything that is written, no matter the genre, has been written before, seldom, maybe never will you find a completely new angle to a story. It stands to reason we repeat the process throughout writing and living. Also we have to consider 7 billion people are allowed to differ in likes and dislikes, in believes and viewpoints. Every character will have followers, every character will be seen as good or bad, every character fall into a class that will be emulated. Take 'Harry Potter' then take 'Iron Man' or 'Superman' all heroes that rise and fall and rise again. Why, because we cheer them on when they rise and we urge them on when they fall so they can rise again. Lets not call a character flawed, call them what the are, protagonist or Antagonists, they are characters, You all have read about 'Whitey Bulger' he was not flawed, ha was just bad, you know he had many friends and probably still has. He is an example of the two-sided character.