Mistral wrote:
But the problem with exposing the inner man - most people edit their thoughts before they voice them ...Which leaves the author the choice of editing the character's thoughts to make them sound like external voice - thereby removing the closeness again - or writing what one thinks the inner dialogue actually is - and risk rendering the character's voice unrecognizable to the reader. It's IMHO a bit tricky. Mostly, I prefer characterization to come through actions and dialogue.
True, but there's a deal of satisfaction to be gained from making the thought patterns reveal the inner person, weaker than the outer persona yet recognisably the same character. Especially in Avon's case I love the mismatch between overt conscious thoughts, partially hidden yet underlying thoughts, which the reader infers but the character can't see, and actions. Okay, so I'm not a good enough writer to produce this convincingly, but that never stopped me wishing....
I'd rather try -- and fail -- to achieve this, than be forced to stab Avon in the lung every time I want him to express any sentiment.
I also think the reprographic technique of B7 writing (to quote one of Neil's excellent essays) -- ie reproducing the on-screen characters is the *most* important thing -- can leave a lot to be desired.
Tavia
Tavia said:
I'd rather try -- and fail -- to achieve this, than be forced to stab Avon in the lung every time I want him to express any sentiment.
OK, bearing in mind which list this is, I'll keep the Keg Queer Studies note short. As a writer (generally of non-explicit slash stories-- an unaccountably or then again perhaps accountably neglected genre) I'd rather try and fail to write about love and/or desire between men than be forced to get Avon duffed up every time Blake wants to get his shirt off.
-(Y)
Tavia Chalcraft wrote:
True, but there's a deal of satisfaction to be gained from making the thought patterns reveal the inner person, weaker than the outer persona yet recognisably the same character. Especially in Avon's case I love the mismatch between overt conscious thoughts, partially hidden yet underlying thoughts, which the reader infers but the character can't see, and actions. Okay, so I'm not a good enough writer to produce this convincingly, but that never stopped me wishing....
I can agree wholeheartedly there; it's when the inner monologue starts to make the character _un_recognizable that it becomes a problem. For example, Vila thinking like an Alpha, without any corresponding explanation for it. Next after shoddy copy-editing, bad character voice is the thing most likely to break me out of the story. Since I really don't think that what's going on in Avon's head is _remotely_ like what comes out of his mouth, I know I'm not a good enough writer to express that convincingly.
I'd rather try -- and fail -- to achieve this, than be forced to stab Avon in the lung every time I want him to express any sentiment.
Also agreed; but Avon expressed quite a bit of sentiment in the series (IMO), and I don't remember him getting stabbed in the lung ;-) Seriously, his whole (exterior) emotional landscape, apart from the occasional outburst of anger or frustration, is made up of nuances - dropping the tool when he heard Del Grant's name in Countdown, for example. Or his reactions at the end of RoD - if he didn't express a lot of sentiment then, I don't think bashing him about will cause it, either.
I also think the reprographic technique of B7 writing (to quote one of Neil's excellent essays) -- ie reproducing the on-screen characters is the *most* important thing -- can leave a lot to be desired.
It would indeed get a little dull if we never learned anything new about the characters; after all, we learned new things about them in every ep of the show. OTOH, unless you're writing a long series or a deliberate AU/parody/etc., it makes sense to start somewhere near the 'corporate' version of the characters and develop gradually, so as to bring the readers along. It isn't necessary to be dull or coldly unemotional in order to make the characters recognizable (for example, Renaissance). You can go pretty far afield and I'll follow - as long as the direction is convincingly explained.
Mistral
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Dana Shilling -
Mistral -
Tavia Chalcraft