rufusluciusivan wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2023 11:52 am
Stormtrooper1990 wrote: Sat Dec 02, 2023 5:34 pm
To compare Harper with the Cordova family from the Portrait Plot, I wanted the Cordova's to be hated by the reader but also feel that as assassins they were merely tools. They themselves were used in a great game and left betrayed but that hardly excuses their actions.
A part of me wonders if you didn't succeed too well in that area. As far as I'm concerned, it turned me off so much I refrained myself from commenting...
From a writer's standpoint, I understand writing a character meant to be hated, but casting them as the main protagonist is very risky. Usually, the hateful characters are casted as antagonists (minor or major) for a reason. The key difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has a purpose. When a character is made unlikable, readers have expectations about them - usually, they expect a form of catharsis when the hated character gets some comeuppance.
Even fictions meant to reflect reality usually take that route. Take Joffrey Baratheon from
Game of Thrones. GOT is rightfully praised for its grim realistic approach. But the series still made sure its most hated character would suffer an ignominious death. (I could have said the same thing about
Hunger Games. Had the events taken place in the real world, would a paranoid leader like Coin have exposed herself so carelessly during Snow's execution? The debate is on. There are enough incompetent leaders in our history to support the idea Coin could make such a mistake. But my point is the decision wasn't Coin's. It was Collins'. And Collins made sure to choose the exact chain of events which would lead to the deaths of the two most hateful characters of her series - Snow and Coin.)
Hi Rufus
I seem to have a knack for writing protagonists that blur the line between protagonist and antagonist. Even the SI characters(despite being non lethal) do have a degree of detachment towards their victims, and aren't necessary nice people. They are special agents saving lives, they don't have to be nice.
But I digress. Although Gabrielle from Call of Liberty, my first generally nice character, did what she had to too. Its these types of characters I like to create and write, as they are complex and reflect real life. Another character I like to write, is the tortured soul. Characters like Nadja, and Harper ( and also Lucia, who will feature in an upcoming Napoleonic era story, which I worked on with Arc.) who do shock us but deserve a second chance, a shot at redemption
For me, I always disliked the whole good guys wear white hats, bad guys wear black hats, trope. As it doesn't reflect real life. And I will be the first to admit that I like bad girls. This is generally reflected in my work, since sometimes the badguys win, not always get their comeuppance and this may not be to everybody's liking. (Coins death in
The Hunger Games reminds me of the death of Julius Caesar. Despite all the warnings, from his wife, his advisors Caesar allowed himself to be exposed and killed on the Ides of March. He wasn't necessary incompetent, but stupid. Coin was the exact opposite, and power hungry as well.)
Characters like the Cordova's are only one offs, they won't have a series written about them and I dont want to write another story where they get their comeuppance. It fits into the narrative of their story that they get away, but don't get paid for their work. So in a manner of speaking, that's their comeuppance.
