Not only letting characters be wrong, but many great stories have that be a crucial part of the story and the lesson the character has to learn by its resolution. Think of a film the most recent Puss in Boots or a book like A Wizard of Earthsea, stories where to resolve the central conflict the protagonist needed to confront their own viewpoint or personal flaws. Hell, often the central conflict can come about precisely BECAUSE of those flaws. I think of Fritz Lieber's Sword & Sorcery stories where our main characters are trying to get themselves out of problems they caused for themselves in the first place out of greed, arrogance or simple carelessness. I think you can create build up for a "flat" ending effectively, but you have to be aware of what and why you're doing that from a story or thematic level as opposed to being more realistic for the character. For example, this can commonly be used for comedic effect where the build up to the wet fart of an end is kind of the whole joke. You've really got to know what you're doing to pull that off effectively though and have to be conscious that even then some people will be upset that you didn't play the thing straight.
7:59 YES. I spent years trying to figure out who my MC was, just for most of it to be dashed away when she finally reached the page! Heck, I’m still figuring out who she is as I put her through the story’s many scenarios!
Don't worry, my Protag is so talented and loved by everyone ,except the designated bad characters, that the plot and the protag's character arc is resolved in the off-screen zone by side characters.
These were all great tips! I also think there's other issues where authors make their protagonist too close to them or a self insert and then they're unable to give them flaws or allow others to question them without being demonized. As a reader I can often tell the author's favorites and they tend to not be mine due to the bias in the writing.
The whole build up to nothing works well in comedy where that would be the subversion and long running joke that should turn into self awareness or another subversion where the thing plays out for real this time. Like imagine someone has the ability to recieve signs of future events, but they are interpreting the accurate omens for the worse outsomes rather than what they are and people need to rely on this person's ability to relay this information to know what is the actual danger ahead.
Not only letting characters be wrong, but many great stories have that be a crucial part of the story and the lesson the character has to learn by its resolution. Think of a film the most recent Puss in Boots or a book like A Wizard of Earthsea, stories where to resolve the central conflict the protagonist needed to confront their own viewpoint or personal flaws. Hell, often the central conflict can come about precisely BECAUSE of those flaws. I think of Fritz Lieber's Sword & Sorcery stories where our main characters are trying to get themselves out of problems they caused for themselves in the first place out of greed, arrogance or simple carelessness.
I think you can create build up for a "flat" ending effectively, but you have to be aware of what and why you're doing that from a story or thematic level as opposed to being more realistic for the character. For example, this can commonly be used for comedic effect where the build up to the wet fart of an end is kind of the whole joke. You've really got to know what you're doing to pull that off effectively though and have to be conscious that even then some people will be upset that you didn't play the thing straight.
Fritz Lieber? Omg someone else remembers.
7:59 YES. I spent years trying to figure out who my MC was, just for most of it to be dashed away when she finally reached the page! Heck, I’m still figuring out who she is as I put her through the story’s many scenarios!
Don't worry, my Protag is so talented and loved by everyone ,except the designated bad characters, that the plot and the protag's character arc is resolved in the off-screen zone by side characters.
ah but you see, even the bad guys should totally also think your MC is the best, they just get to say it during their villain monologue! ;)
These were all great tips! I also think there's other issues where authors make their protagonist too close to them or a self insert and then they're unable to give them flaws or allow others to question them without being demonized. As a reader I can often tell the author's favorites and they tend to not be mine due to the bias in the writing.
I'm with you on not having perfect MC like let them be wrong it's not a bad thing makes them human!
But my mc isn't human. /s
The whole build up to nothing works well in comedy where that would be the subversion and long running joke that should turn into self awareness or another subversion where the thing plays out for real this time.
Like imagine someone has the ability to recieve signs of future events, but they are interpreting the accurate omens for the worse outsomes rather than what they are and people need to rely on this person's ability to relay this information to know what is the actual danger ahead.
My MC(s) might be suffering too much. :)