It's Monday, and I am in pain (as if the fact of it being Monday doesn't hurt enough!) I was at a BBQ for the Scouts yesterday and the entire Troop decided they would try and dunk me in the pool (they failed, of course!) However, my neck is killing me and I have little finger shaped bruises across my upper arm and chest. Those kids came at me like they were a pack of rabid monkeys and I was a ripe bunch of bananas! We also played Adults vs. the kids in volleyball and water polo. We (the big fellas) beat them soundly in all events. (Now, lest you think this was an unfair competition, let me point out that at all times the boys had double our numbers!) Despite the bruises, scrapes, and soreness, I had a great time. Even the wife had fun, she actually hung out for the entire afternoon talking with the other maternal-type attendees. (no doubt villifying we paternal-types!) The boy was -of course- one of the aforementioned monkeys, so he was quite content with the day's proceedings as well.
We also had a BBQ for the boy's birthday this weekend. He got his surprise gift: a new computer (top of the line and tweaked for gaming) and he loved it. That was what he really wanted and I figgered he's not a half bad kid to have about so what the hell? That whole day went nicely as well. The wife and I actually managed to avoid screaming at each other for the entire day - quite an accomplishment for us when there's a lot of work to be done! So, to go along with the boy's computer, I got my new laserjet (actually, it came with his system but I stole it, giving him my crappy inkjet) so now I have no excuses left for delaying the agent queries. They will be going out ASAP!
Actually got to take a lunch break today and get some work done on "First", to the tune of 2,000 words. Not a bad thing. I like the way this is working itself out actually. I originally conceived it as a sort of "young man coming out from his father's shadow" sort of thing and I meant to have a very contemplative tone to underly the all the action (of which there will be a great deal) but -as always- the characters have their own ideas and they are coming off very hard edged with a distinct military bent that I didn't plan on but it fits the story perfectly. The MC is a young officer who needs to hold his own amidst an assembly of very hard men, so he's not the innocent young man trying to grow up I originally thought. He's a very sharp, dangerous, and hard man who is being underestimated because of his age. I love it when the book surprises me! I like this new personality much better than the one I started with. This man is much more likeable and human than the original. The nervousness was still there when I started back into the story today but it slipped away quickly and I was left with a smile on my face as my fingers flew across the keys. That is writing!
So, I was thinking about tragic characters last night. The boy put on LOTR again (for the 300th time - which is perfectly cool by me!) and I was thinking about Boromir. He's a great tragic character. He's likeable, understandable, and incredibly human in his failings. You desperately want him to win through but his own weakness betrays him. That -to me- is the heart of a tragic character. As I thought about it, I realized that all my favorite novels (the ones I have in hardcover in my library and reread a hundred times) all have tragic characters. Strangely, I've never written a tragic character. I'm wondering if that's something I need to correct. I think the TC is a great writer's tool but I've seen it poorly done (oh, and it's very sad when it is!) and I'm not sure if I'm avoiding it because I'm afraid of screwing it up or because they don't fit my stories. I tend to wrap up things nicely at the end of my tales; the MC's win and the bad guys lose. The only ones who are in any real danger are usually secondary characters to whom the MC has an emotional tie but there is no damage to the plot line when they go. I'm thinkin' I need to look at this a bit more closely. I may be skirting an important issue in my writing. What do you folks think? Anybody else have experience with writing the TC?
Ah well, time to return to the real world. Another contractor is coming in to give estimates on the renovations tonight. Yay. Much fun.
Later!
2 comments:
Boromir also had the opportunity to redeem himself when he "saved" Merry and Pippen. I think a TC is definitely a difficult area. It is actually one of the main stuumbling blocks that I have about what I want to write. In my idea, the primary bad guy that the MC has to deal with is a tragic character. It is definitely difficult to balance. Good luck
Hmmm . . . bad guy as tragic . . . not sure I could work with that. I like my BG's to be, well . . .bad! I do try to make them human and give them reasons for all they do (I work hard at avoiding the Evil Overlord) but I never display them as tragic. I feel it is willingly making wrong choices that makes them evil, or firmly believing in the rightness of their bad choices, regardless of cost. To my way of thinking a TC is one who tries to make the right choice but stumbles along the way.
I do think your dead on with Boromir's redemption though. All TC's need a chance to redeem themselves. They may not always take it but I think we -as authors- need to present it to them. How they handle it is up to the character though. In the end, they will fail or die as the result of their choice. They are after all: tragic!
Later!
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