Friday, August 29, 2008

Bring back Spring - it is inevitable

Here down under we will soon be lapping up the warmth of Spring. What I would love more than that is some spring in my step. Still experiencing ill health and NOT enjoying what usually brings me pleasure at the moment finds me determined to build my immune system to make it work for a change!! I am really hoping the new season will not only occur weather-wise but also health-wise. When I am feeling better my doctor has promised he will attack my wrist with a scalpel - now isn't that something to look forward to?
Now that you know how I'm feeling, do you think it's possible that I would jump up on a stage and start singing and dancing? Nope, you guessed that right.
Let's look at this scenario regarding characterization. Valerie Parv says it's inevitable for characters to react a certain way that isn't contrived. In other words, if you have set the heroine up as a timid, li'l thing with a people phobia, she would never consider jumping on the stage with me to sing a duet and dance too. Once a writer has gifted characters with their personality there's an inevitability as to how they act and react.
As a writer, care has to be taken to portray characters true to their created personalities for what Ms Parv calls the 'ring of truth'. As a reader I am so frustrated when I see this abused. I could put a recent example in here but don't want to hurt the published author!! There was a scene that I could never, EVER see the heroine indulging in for the sake of her hero. Sorry, but there are just some things that are inevitable and this scene was SO contrived that I was getting annoyed. Still, she's published and I'm not. I guess if the story is good enough there are some things we can skip over. But I won't be picking up this author again.
How about you? Have you read something that was so out of character it turned you off the story or even the author?
Regards Annie