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And suppose I know her so well that I'm convinced it wouldn't be true to her character to do what's necessary to make her likable or do what should be done plot wise.
What happens then? Do we squeeze a square peg in a round hole?
Here's the answer that seems obvious to me though I know it's hard to swallow:
CHANGE THE CHARACTER. Is it a fundamental change? Sounds like it. But you know what? Maybe they weren't the right character for the situation. Maybe you need someone else.
I've said before that you need the absolute wrong character for the situation. The one who will have the most difficulty therefore creating the most tension and conflict. It sounds like in the above situation I haven't found that perfectly wrong person yet.
And it may hurt. It's worse than killing your darling words. It's a person you've gotten to know. If it helps, rename the character. Change the physical description. Anything to differentiate between the two. BUT do what's right for the book.
The character has to be true to herself, but if that truth doesn't work, change the truth.
Just a note - because of the holiday I will probably be late visiting you guys, but know that I WILL catch up and read every single one carefully.
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I'm with you. I had to completely rewrite a novel twice for this--b/c the main character turned out to be someone 1. unlikeable, and 2. unable to do what the novel required.
ReplyDeleteThe third time, with a new character taking over the story (but the old character still in there, only not the protagonist), the story worked. It was a TON of rewriting, but it was most definitely worth it!
I had to do this with my hero so many time for this story, and a couple of minor characters too. But I finally found the right people for the story, and yeah, it's all about the story.
ReplyDeleteExactly. We sometimes forget that WE are the writers. We have full control... even tho we can't force characters to do stuff, we can certainly change things up as needed. And we should.
ReplyDeleteCHANGE THE CHARACTER. Totally yes. And I've done this. And I'm so glad that's the answer that you got to!
ReplyDeleteHappy Rosh Hashanah! :)
ReplyDeleteTotally love getting the wrong character for a situation. I've had to do that too. Change the character. Sucks but in the long run, worth it.
I'd like to add a spin to this...what if it's the same character, but we add motivations or traits that make the character likable? Of course you know this is something I've had to struggle with, and getting the right balance is VERY difficult. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteThis is good advice, even though it's hard to do. I'm revising my WIP now and realizing that I need to tweak my characters a bit. It's weird after I've gotten to know them already but in the end they'll be much stronger.
ReplyDeleteHappy Rosh Hashanah!
I've had to cut a character that I loved because they were wrong for the story. It wasn't easy but you're right, sometimes it must be done. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI had to do this with my WIP in spades.
ReplyDeleteI'd not done my homework on my love interest. I just sorta used a generic template for him, and didn't really get around to building a complete history. Bad roxie.
He started out as the manipulative driven incubus villain, which is cardboard enough to really kill the plot.
I sat down and wrote out a complete synopsis of his life (Virginia born 170 year old civil war veteran now working as an archaeologist for the real villain. He has a cowardly streak and is definitely a ladies man)
Needless to say, that changed the entire story...and made a hell of a lot of revision work for me. Ack.
I think it is Maass who also says that at times you need to make your character do things that are NOT in character for them. That can really work to show humor or change if motivated well.
ReplyDeleteI get that a character may be wrong for the part, but I don't know that I'd fit my character to the story--think it works the other way around for me. Either way, rewriting and/or revision are going to be part of the deal.
ReplyDeleteI had this exact problem with Hetty in bk 2. She wasn't pulling her weight. She either had to leave the book entirely and be lost forever to the world . . . a character that never really existed. OR, I had to get to know her a whole lot better and find out what made her tick. She's in the book and she absolutely serves a purpose and I'm really proud of her.
ReplyDeleteIf a character has to do something completely out of character, the writer has to establish a believable situation to explain why the character would do that.
To me, "Yes, but it's loads more work" is always the right answer.
Yes, yes yes. I finished a novel but what I realized in the revision process is the two main characters were all wrong. I liked the plot, but they had to change. I'm currently rewriting it but it is actually clicking now.
ReplyDeleteAch, such a dilemma. I agree with you that it is so hard to morph a character that you've become attached to. Great advice though.
ReplyDeleteCan you make a 10-year old eat broccoli? Can you make me enjoy going to the dentist? Can you make my middle daughter stop buying shoes? Can you make me stop these senseless questions?
ReplyDeleteI know that people say let the character rule the story but we're in charge and can mold them how we want as long as it makes sense! So I vote for change the character.
ReplyDeleteI've both changed the story and changed the character, depending on the story—whichever was necessary to tell the story I was trying to tell.
ReplyDeleteIn one case, the paranoid narrator was too paranoid, but I needed to keep her for the story, so I revised to tone down the whiny paranoia.
In another case, the unintended MMC gave me the logical foundation I needed for the story I wanted to tell, so I changed my surface plans for the story to keep the core story I wanted to tell—and it ended up working even better than my original plan would have.
I've learned that I subconsciously pick up on things long before I consciously notice them, so when my story's taking a particular turn, there might be a logic reason I haven't consciously realized yet.
This is so refreshing to hear. People tend to go on about the character ruling the roost, and to be honest, I've never understood that because someone's got to call the shots, right? Thanks for giving me permission to be in charge ;)
ReplyDeleteBecca @ The Bookshelf Muse
Your only alternative is to find something new that will motivate your existing character to do what you need him/her to do. Anyone can do anything in the right situation with the right motivation. But it may be simpler to change the character.
ReplyDeleteYes! I'm in the second rewrite of my WIP all because one of the characters just wasn't working. I didn't change the character as much as the choices he had been forced to make in his past, which then changes his current situation and created more tension for the story. Lots of work for me, but it has definitely been worth it.
ReplyDeleteIt's more difficult to "boss around" your character if he/she is a perfect fit for your story's goals.
ReplyDeleteI have a main character that I intended to be the antagonist (starts out bad, turns good), but some readers believe he is the protagonist, because he learns to overcome his long-held prejudices. They view my intended protagonist simply as the catalyst for my bad-turned-good guy's change across the story arc. The example people cite is how Luke Skywalker was the catalyst for Darth Vader to overcome the dark side of the Force in the end.
Ugh. I know about this. I had to cut 3 characters from my last book in revisions and it was painful. They had witty remarks and added a little comic relief in tense sections. But it turned out after I cut them, a HUGE character with a big personality had no problem picking up the slack. I think it made her shine more in the end. But, oh, my poor Drew. I still miss him:)
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough one. I'm currently changing some characteristics of the MC because they seem wrong, and I hope I know what I'm doing this time!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! Hard to follow - but very necessary in those circumstances!
ReplyDeleteI've changed characters. It's not the easiest thing to do, but it was good for the stories.
ReplyDelete