Monday, May 31, 2010

I Love You but...


No matter the genre, no matter the medium, every writer loves their characters. I understand that. However, for there to be a story, a writer must give their little darlings challenges to overcome. I saw a movie this weekend which was ultimately unsatisfactory because, in my opinion, the writer failed to do this.

Now, this writer had some hurdles to overcome. The characters he is writing have become iconic, which would be limiting in its own way. (An issue I'd be thrilled to tackle, by the way.) But his biggest problem (I believe) is that each character had already been given their 'happily ever after'. Everyone was happy. How do you mess with that - remembering that these characters are beloved world-wide?

This movie is a comedy, which means you know everything is going to turn out fine. But before that ending, let's get a little messy. Let's take away something that one of the characters has always taken for granted and see how they deal with it. Let's have a character make a potentially disastrous choice. Let's throw a few bumps in the road. There were moments when some characters dipped their toes into the puddle of trouble, but they quickly removed their toes before trouble occurred. The result? Dullness, disguised by really good shoes.

The movie served as a good reminder that even though I love my characters, I have to throw them under a bus. I have to let them face their fears. Maybe they overcome them, maybe they don't - but at least they grow.

The end is called the end because the characters have finished that stage of their journey. They're in a different place than they were at the beginning. Give me a happily ever after, but let me have a few minutes of worrying whether I'm going to get there or not.

13 comments:

  1. Yeah! Let's hear it for really good buses to come along every now and then.

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  2. You want me to throw my characters under a bus!? Are you crazy?

    Okay. Done.

    I think this post is great. Now tell me, what's the movie so I don't have to waste my money seeing it?

    CD

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  3. Carol; Here's to the bus. I'm not calling for a fleet of them, but maybe one or two - with squeaky wheels.

    Clarissa; It was the new Sex and the City. I love those characters, but I just wanted a bumpier journey.

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  4. AH, yes, I haven't seen it. Probably wont now. Thanks.

    CD

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  5. Does it have to be a bus? What if I throw her under a nasty brute and make her believe she loves him?

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  6. Dorte; That would work. Sometimes our need for love is the biggest bus of all.

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  7. Elspeth - You really make a very good point. In real life, we have to deal with bumps in the road all the time. That's the stuff life is made of. So it should be in fiction, too. Otherwise, it's like....bland flavorless pudding. Bleh. Much better to have characters have to deal with life's realities. But please...not a bus, OK? So-oo messy...

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  8. Margot; Okay, not a bus. But something bad - something that makes them stop and say "How did I get myself into this?"

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  9. I remember an early crit partner saying, "Oh, please don't let anything else bad happen to Sarah!" Yeah, right!

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  10. Terry; Mua-ha-ha-ha. Good for you. I say let them suffer before they eat cake.

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  11. Gee, Elspeth, if you throw those you love under a bus, what do you do with those of whom you're less fond? LOL

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  12. oh I did but the pixies ate it. Again. I'm with you -kill them, push them, squeeze them, irritate them but for god's sake don't just leave them happy. It's like watching people shop at Woolco. I mean really, who cares? I knew it was Sex and the City - the shoe reference tipped me off. Think I'll give it a miss. Seen The Trotskies? Very fun. Needs a good hard edit and now will never get it but if you can overlook that it is quite lovely.

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  13. I rather enjoy throwing my characters under the bus. The problem is, they tend to take things as they come and not get overly emotional about it. I've had betas point out that the characters need to get more upset. Oops!

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