Just lately i've been writing a rather long erotic story (on its way to becoming a novella) but after 13 chapters it has suddenly dawned on me that the protagonist is a bit of a Mary-Sue. so far he does not seem to display any faults, and has not even considered doing anything devious or underhanded.
Partly my fault - I am writing it in first person, and i tend to be a bit of a nice guy.
However, it is generally considered to be a sign of bad writing to make the protagonist too virtuous or too clever, and successful writers don't do it.
Really? what about Harry Potter? we have an orphan who was brought up badly by selfish greedy people who never showed him any affection, and has never known friendship. so what happens as soon as he finds out that he is a special person with special powers? he uses them wisely, quickly makes friends with the least important students, and is a paragon of wisdom, self restraint, and virtue. as if.
And yet the books are enormously popular. as is Lord of the Rings (Frodo's humility, bravery, and self sacrifice is just downright annoying), and just about any of Roald Dahls leading characters. In fact, most children's characters have an annoying habit of being kind, considerate, clever, and courageous, with very few exceptions.
The argument is that heroes in childrens' books are meant to be an example, but is it really necessary? One of my favorites from childhood was the Just William stories by Richmal Crompton - a rascally scamp who was constantly getting into trouble.
The fact is, giving a character flaws can be a very tricky business, and if you arent careful you completely lose the sympathy of the reader. the fact is, to engage the reader, the main protagonist has to have something that makes the reader want to put himself in their shoes. the reader needs to be able to identify with them. as most of us like to believe that we are basically good people, a negative character is not likely to be all that popular.
That's not to say it cant be done. many writers have created characters that are deeply flawed, and yet still manage to get the sympathy of the reader - though usually only in comedies. examples that spring to mind are the characters created by Tom Sharp, Douglas Adams, or Terry Pratchett.
But even serious fiction can get away with flawed heroes. The Eternal Champions of Moorcocks' universe, or even the famous Sherlock Holmes. Yes, at first glance Holmes does seem like a classic Mary-Sue - he is incorruptible, all knowing, never wrong. but he is also a psychological misfit - a social failure, a drug addict, and obsessive compulsive.
The most important flaw that is frequently overlooked is selfishness. Most of us don't like to think of ourselves as selfish, and we abhor that quality in others - but if we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that at the very core of ourselves, we are essentially selfish. and those that try to deny it the most are often the most selfish.
So why do we omit selfish actions and motives from our fictional creations? Maybe because we are so determined to justify our own motives.
The next character you create - make them as witty, clever, resourceful, brave, and kind hearted as you like - but every now and then show their motives as being ultimately self serving. Oh - and just occasionally allow them to be wrong. Nobody is right all the time, and we all hate people who seem to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment