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Advice for Writers

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Chikatsu_Star
ThoughtfulGarbage
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Post by ThoughtfulGarbage Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:54 am

If you're writing a story, how do you best represent the protagonists? I asked a co-worker but after taking time to think over what he said, I realize he might not have been paying attention.

Do you represent the protagonists of a story as perfect paragons or as people who make mistakes and do a mixture of good and bad things... the books I've read seem to have conflicting outlooks on this and It's making the task of writing more difficult.
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Post by Chikatsu_Star Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:20 am

Dear ThoughtfulGarbage,

I am not a writer so I do not know if my opinion means anything but I have always liked stories where the main characters make mistakes. Making them out to be perfect strips them of their potential to grow, change and learn for better or for worse. They are idealized, but they don't seem like reality.

Sincerely,

Chikatsu Star
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Post by Tiredofyourbabbling Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:35 am

Depends on what you are writing and how badly you want to write it.
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Post by ThoughtfulGarbage Mon Jul 24, 2017 1:04 pm

I don't know what I want to write yet... I was ordered to write something as a way of flushing out my personality to something more.....proactive and sociable. After reading examples I thought short stories but I was having trouble figuring out how to properly portray the protagonists. but

Chikatsu Star wrote:"I have always liked stories where the main characters make mistakes. Making them out to be perfect strips them of their potential to grow, change and learn for better or for worse. They are idealized, but they don't seem like reality."

This view point seems reasonable.. I think it is a reasonable stance to take.
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Post by VandlolianScurge Mon Jul 24, 2017 1:32 pm

Don't forget to kill some characters off!~
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Post by demonicor Mon Jul 24, 2017 1:40 pm

VandlolianScurge wrote:Don't forget to kill some characters off!~
Just remember, the death hits harder (both you and the reader) if you've actually bothered to name them, and spent some page time giving them personality. Saying "This is Canister Lanister, and now he's dead" has little substance whatsoever, there's no attachment, and about the only use it would have is in giving some background color to someone else's story.
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Post by Forte Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:37 pm

Oh hey, are you some kinda fellow robot just starting to learn how things work? It can be hard if whoever created you didn't frontload your startup with a bunch of testing files, but I guess writing is a... way to do it. Seriously, watch people for a while. Write what they do, and then write what they did AGAIN, but with more flowery language. That'll get you used to how they actually move and act.

Then, once you've got that down you can focus on personalities and stuff. What are their motivations, why are they doing this. Take it from a guy who's had to guide a lot of his brothers through this kinda thing, it can take a while to understand! With some effort and attention though, you'll get it.

Feel free to message again if you want some more help!
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Post by ThoughtfulGarbage Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:51 pm

Forte wrote:Seriously, watch people for a while. Write what they do, and then write what they did AGAIN, but with more flowery language. That'll get you used to how they actually move and act.

I am not a mechanical construct.... but I've been compared to one often.  There is a lot about the world I do not understand and my friend often teases me for it. Thank you for the advice! It sounds helpful!
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Post by Forte Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:12 pm

[quote="ThoughtfulGarbage"]
Forte wrote:Thank you for the advice! It sounds helpful!
No problem kid! Though it sounds like your friends might be kinda terrible. The offer to help more if you want it still stands!
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