Thursday, September 9, 2010

My Petulant Character...The Man

It has been suggested that I try character journaling.
I ask my characters a question and answer it in first person, their pov.

I LOVE it.

Getting to know our characters takes time and patience.
At the moment, my main man :) is being a little petulant in my opinion.

He's not really telling me what is going on in his head.

I've prayed that the Lord be by my side and point out how to iron out their personalities, inconsistencies, goals and such, and we've come a long way, but this guy...I don't know what to do with him.

He's a man of power who's cheated on my MC...HOW does a guy think, first of all, and second, how does a guy like THAT think?

It's all sort of comical, really.
I'm sitting in my chair, blanket covering me, pen and paper in hand, question laid before me:
Q: What made you do it?  Why did you cheat?
A:



Still blank.
Ha.
Funny.  I know exactly how I would portray him, given the reins on this beast!  I'd make him a JERK!
But it doesn't seem to work out like that.  The answer line is stiiiiiiiill blank.  God's holding my pen when I get angry at this fictional man.

Did he want attention he wasn't getting from his busy wife?  And his new blonde secretary in his outter office enticing him, her soft blone hair curling just under her strong, stubborn jaw line; her painfully vast, knowing hazel eyes; she sees through him.  She knows how he feels.  She's seen his shaking hands as he reaches for the daily reports.  She's witnessed him on the phone glance her way as her hazels drag his attention away from Madame President. 

But did he JUST want attention?
What did he want?
What do you think?
What does this jerk want? lol, I'm good a'mind just to make him hated. 
But, he can't be hated.  My MC still loves him, finds Christ and loves him even more although she's hurt, and yes, they get back together -sorry, but this won't be out soon, and by the time you actually read it, you'll have completely forgotten about his post-I'm not spoiling =D

She loves him, the reader has to love him....but if he starts out so...hated, even by me, how in the WORLD will I get him back into our good graces again?

How do you deal with stubborn-willed, unrelenting characters?
How do YOU break through that wall they build so high?

2 comments:

  1. It's rough when your imaginary friends stop talking to you.
    (no, seriously, it's no fun at all!)

    Maybe move around it, maybe work on something else...
    Maybe he's just the kind of guy who WOULDN'T give a concrete answer to that question - even if he's the one asking.

    I'd suggest when you do get to the query stage for this book though that you come take this back down. :-D

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  2. HAHAHA.
    Hilarious.
    Love the pic!!!

    I agree, no fun at all.
    I just sat there the other morning and tapped my pen on the pad of paper...
    then moved on to something else. :)
    Thanks, Wendy!

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