A rule of writing

[winter]

Put your characters in situations that rip them apart. And rip them apart some more.

- Sherry Thomas, On fundamental rules of writing

I think this is something that I've internalised over the past year or so. The downside is, I have a lot of traumatised characters.

(On the other hand, I think this is why I adore movies like Equilibrium and Once Upon A Time In Mexico so much. Set up a successful character. Rip them apart utterly. And twist pins in the wounds until the diamond core emerges and smacks you in the face with a pair of pistols.)

Comments

[assimbya.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree so much. It hurts and I at least always feel guilty about it, but it's what writing is, at least many kinds of it.

[winter]

I've been doing a lot of that lately, actually. My dear Draculea is currently quite broken by the simplest of means - a shapely pair of legs and a class of power that he can't hope to reach. I'd never thought I'd see him head over heels in love :>

[assimbya.livejournal.com]

Draculea, in love? I can't wait to see this. Who, may I ask, is the person who has been so graced with his attentions? Unless it is Johannes?

[winter]

Lady Gent in my icon - Death in Elisabeth as played by Maki Ichiro in the 1996 Takarazuka Snow Troupe production. No-one's more surprised than me. I thought it'd just be a PWP to get it out of my head, plus a few glimpses of prior meetings to establish the attraction. Now I have a nine-part series chronicling Vlad's emotional journey through his ongoing love affair with Death. Which... explains a lot about him, really.

(Not to mention small neat things, like the fact Death has 10 angelic helpers, who only operate as an ensemble in the musical, but have developed distinct personalities and varying degrees of crushes on Vlad. It's been consuming my brain for the past few weeks, but fyrie says it's readable.)

[assimbya.livejournal.com]

That is awesome. I cannot wait to read it. Such a wonderful idea.

[winter]

All Vlad's. I was watching the DVD of the musical and he started commenting out loud on Maki's legs, then it went downhill from there ;)

I'm almost done with writing part 3 out of nine or so, with about 3 thousand words per chapter. Vlad's idea of a romantic date is, apparently, walking through a forest of impaled corpses. It's a good thing his date doesn't mind.

[assimbya.livejournal.com]

Oh, the joys of having characters in your head. And of watching musicals with them. You know what's really amusing? Watching Bat Boy with a vampire muse in your head.

But yay for it causing good plot ideas!

I'm very excited to read this when you post it. Demented romance is so fun!

[winter]

Alas that I haven't seen Bat Boy yet. I've heard quite a few songs and liked them - I need to find a trade for a video boot, I think. I actually quite dread watching Phantom next month, since I have such a variety of Phantom characters, not to mention a certain Herbert von Krolock played by the same guy who's playing Phantom in this version :) I might have to bring along gags for the peanut gallery.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

It's fricking amazing. I love it to bits already. There are no words for the love. It's fabulousness incarnate!

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

*looks at the characters she is putting through everything but the kitchen sink* Yup, I would sayy I agree with that rule.

[winter]

And that's what angst is for ;)

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

Ohyes. Sometimes it is kind of bad cause, well, I have the one huge-ass story that tends to rip ME apart because I identify with the self-inserts xharcaters so much..... funnily enough, another a lot more dire 'äverse hurts a lot less because I ahve more distance from the characters, I suppose.

[winter]

I've learned the hard way to distance myself from my characters. Now I'm just enjoying the ride as they gnash their teeth :>

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Great quote! Quite describes all the writing I love most.

[winter]

It just jumped out at me as the basic principle of getting people interested in characters :> Conflict's where it's at.

I don't think that........

[dracschick.livejournal.com]

you should write something just to challenge yourself (seems like writer is telling other writers to write angsty and that, if they do, they'll meet the challenge). For me, writing a very disturbing sequence isn't the most difficult thing that challenges me as a writer and makes me work on being a better writer. Personally, for me, it's humor. I'm trying to work on that:)

Re: I don't think that........

[winter]

I think it's more of a question of putting characters in situations where they are challenged - might as well be putting an angsty character in a situation that makes him laugh :) Right now I have a bloodthirsty warlord in mushy luuuuv, and it's tearing him apart nicely...

[oninobara.livejournal.com]

I do so love that idea. Strip your characters down to the backbone. Then you know what they're made of.

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

*laughs*
Could she possibly have been thinking of us fanfic writers? XD

[winter]

Proves the point that writing is writing, whatever the end product ;) I think current trends in fanfic are mirroring the trends in literature in general. Comparing 80s and current fic and 80s and current romance novels gives similar results, at least.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

*whistles innocently* I never ever use angst and pain on my characters. That would be mean ;)

[winter]

I think a certain blond with the initials H. von K. wants a word with you. And a pound of flesh ;>

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

*coughs* I have no idea what you're talking about ;)