The Crux of it. · 8:03pm Aug 14th, 2014
First off, I promise I am working on stories. It has been a crazy summer, but I am trying to have a pair of stories out for you before it ends.
Anyway, I had something I wanted to talk about today. I didn't realize it was something that needed to be spoken about until a few minutes ago. Here, read this.
No, I said that because none of these characters are REAL therefore don't feel anything. You're acting as if I just said that about a living thing, he's just a character and it's just my opinion on how I would make the story. I'm not saying the creator is going to make it like that and I won't get upset if they don't but I can have my own opinion on how the story would go in my perspective. Once again T is a fictional character so please don't act as if I'm saying this about a real person, because of course I wouldn't say that about something that actually has feelings. Plus it's more romantic :)
At first, reading this annoyed me. I'm sure many an experienced author could figure out why. But then I started to realize something. This is probably one of the biggest problems that persists in non-professional fiction writing. Sure you can have spelling, grammar, syntax, pacing and all those lovely problems. But those can all be fixed. Plot holes can be filled, cliches can be removed, etc etc. This, however, is an issue of mindset.
It is that issue of mindset that, I think, creates the biggest divide between 'Good author who needs some work' and 'Waste of time'. Now let me first say, I don't believe anybody is beyond help. If you want to improve, are open to critique, and honestly try to improve your work, I have full confidence in you. But there are some things that will just doom any story you write from the very start.
This is one of them.
There is this idea, mostly present in fanfiction, due to its very nature, that characters exist to move the plot. This line of thought is so ass backwards it hurts. How many stories have you read where one of the Mane 7 was so brutally out of character that it was painful? Their personalities changed on a whim simply to continue moving the plot forward.
This mindset is what causes that sort of writing, and I think it needs to be rooted out in anyone who even thinks of calling themselves a writer. A character is not a tool to move the plot. A character is not a medium through which to tell a story. A character is a living, breathing (as the case goes) being. In fanfiction this is even more important, since your audience is already well aware of the traits of these characters. You need to stick to these traits, otherwise you will shatter their suspension of disbelief. The PLOT exists for the sake of the CHARACTERS.
Somewhere along the line, people got this idea that you can make characters do whatever you want as long as it makes a good story. Except no. You need look no further than the show to see this. Why do people hate 'The Mysterious Mare Do Well' so much? Because the characters were acting totally contrary to their established personalities. Why should we get free reign to tear down these rules? By the way, I'm not talking about AU stories or anything like that. Clearly, they follow their own rules.
This view might get me quite a bit of hate, but I am saying it anyway. A fantastic example of bad fanfiction is the famous story The Glass Blower, by Cold in Gardez.
Yes, I just insulted the work of someone with over two thousand followers, and one of the staple pieces on this site.
Now, let me just say that The Glass Blower is a fantastic piece of literature. It is well crafted, with a solid moral and purpose that is hammered home quite masterfully. As a story, I have nothing but praise for it. However, it is a terrible example of fanfiction.
Why? Because it ruins the characterization of Rarity, just to put her in the story. The character in the story could have been some random pony. The story didn't need to be about ponies at all. But they included a white unicorn who looked like Rarity, had her name, and acted nothing like her. That's the big problem. When you start treating characters as just a tool for moving the plot, and forget that they are very unique and individual beings with their own struggles, goals and flaws, you have missed the point entirely.
The comment that started this whole song and dance just stuck out to me. Some people just do not get that, if you are a creator, that mindset is the highway to failure. If you don't care about your characters, why would anyone else?
Remember, my followers, it is the characters that your readers are interested in, not the story. A great story with terrible characters is bad, but a terrible story with good characters will at least be remembered for the characters that made it enjoyable. You need look no further than MLP to figure that one out. The stories in most of the episodes are pretty standard for most cartoons. Nothing too off the wall. Why, then, do we love the show so much?
Because of the characters.
-Lumino
YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!
I completely agree with this blog post one hundred percent.
TRUTH!
Well said, Lumino.
Right on, brother!
You're exactly right when you say that "a character is not a tool to move the plot." In fact, it's the exact opposite. The plot exists to move the characters. After all, no one wants to read about Rarity sitting at home and designing a completely ordinary dress, and no one cares about Twilight sitting in silence and reading a science text. The plot pushes them out of the mundane and creates a story.
Both are equally important, and they should be crafted with the same care.
+1, 10/10, Blog of the Year. *nods sagely*
2370304 That said, someone will write those stories, if they haven't already. More than a few "boring slices of life where nothing happens" have been written intentionally, and a good chunk of those turned out entertaining anyways. Even profound.
Bravo
*slow clap* I get it. I understand it all. I read the griffon war because I wanted to see the ending for fleethoof. I read colts waiting for button mash to finally get a girl. It is all around the character.
Truer words have never been spoken on fimfic
i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/550/854/53a.gif
Magnificient reasoning, LZ. Wait, can I fav a blog post?
Thanks for the help. Toddles! (uwu)