Friday, March 9, 2012
Complete Armor for Horse and Man
I’m a sucker for flawed heroes. Give me a man with a tortured past, a dark secret, hidden pain, a rebellious streak, or an all-consuming desire for revenge. Give me a bastard, an anti-hero, a bad boy. Oh yeah.
Don’t get me wrong, I still want my heroes to be likable. Even a bad boy bastard has to have some redeeming qualities like humor, courage, tenderness, and a moral code. He needs a belief in something and maybe a bit of hope, too.
A dark hero, by nature, is a complex creature. Something drives him; he’s bad, yet does the right thing. A dark hero has many layers if drawn correctly by his creator.
These layers are what fascinate me. In Bullies, Bastards & Bitches, Jessica Page Morrell gives a sort of hierarchy of traits that all characters have. She notes that if character-building is done well, readers will still be learning about a character right up to the last page. Her hierarchy of traits are:
Primary Traits are the foundation of the character, his personality, his disposition and approach to life.
Secondary Traits are mannerisms, tastes, tags, habits, that support the Primary Traits.
Counter/Contrasting Traits are a character’s deepest layer, the place where he’s most vulnerable.
Just like the armored knight, a hero has his outer armor that is readily recognized. In the case of the Bad Boy Hero his armor is made of those behaviors that give him his reputation. It’s not easy to get beyond his armor, but to persist is to see his vulnerabilities and to understand why he acts the way he does.
To craft a character with layers - with those primary, secondary and contrasting traits - is to create a complicated, yet believable person. Everyone has armor, everyone’s been hurt, or experienced some kind of trouble, heartache, or upheaval. Everyone.
You may not be crafting a Bad Boy or a Bitch. But I’m curious… does your character wear armor? Does he have layers of traits much like those that Morrell talks about? What does your character’s deepest layer look like?
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"Layers" of personality in characters enforce the sense that they have a history and a depth beyond the two dimensions of the page. However -- is there a risk of falling back into flat characterisation even as you try to avoid it, by creating characters who are *clichés*: armoured exteriors with vulnerable interiors, for example?
ReplyDeleteYes, absolutely. There's always the risk of falling into those conventions, devices, tropes, stereotypes, et al, that make storytelling easy because everyone recognizes the device.
ReplyDeleteBut if you think about it, there are no original themes. There are just variations of them -- some clever, some not. Look up "common themes in literature" and see for yourself. Our job, as writers, is to make one of those themes our own in a unique way.
My example of an armor-plated hero with a soft side could be considered cliche. The point I was trying to make (apparently, badly) is that everyone has a "public" personality (the armor) and a "inner, private" one.
Oh, interesting! I never thought of it in three layers like that before, but now I'm intrigued - I'll keep the layers in mind while editing Ayten's story. I *think* I tend to make my male characters more complex than my female ones - or is that because more often, the male MC is seen through the female's pov and she's wondering what he's up to?
ReplyDeleteI tend to make my male characters more complex than my female ones - or is that because more often, the male MC is seen through the female's pov and she's wondering what he's up to?
ReplyDeleteThere are just variations of them -- some clever, some not. Look up "common themes in literature" and see for yourself. Our job, as writers, is to make one of those themes our own in a unique way. I was trying to make (apparently, badly) is that everyone has a "public" personality (the armor) and a "inner, private" one.
ReplyDeleteeverythings has a weak point but every body try to level best......
ReplyDeleteOur job, as writers, is to make one of those themes our own in a unique way. I was trying to make (apparently, badly) is that everyone has a "public" personality (the armor) and a "inner, private" one.
ReplyDeleteReally a good post.I think one of the trickiest things for me as a writer is trying to write in a male POV. Not being a male,
ReplyDeleteWow, fascinating! I never possibility of it in several layers similar to that heretofore, yet now I'm interested -I'll remember the layers while altering Ayten's story. I *think* I will usually make my male elements more perplexing than my female ones -or is that since additional frequently, the male MC is viewed by way of the female's pov and she's pondering what he's dependent upon?
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this post, I'm a bit of a sucker for a flawed hero myself. It seems like in older fables that the hero is flat and seemingly 'perfect' but it's always more interesting if they have that intriguing past to them!
ReplyDelete