Musing on Stereotypes
I was thinking the other day about stories (what else is new?) and their characters (still not a shocker), when it dawned on me that as humans, we expect certain traits to belong to specific types of fictional people. When characters go against the stereotypes, it can be uncomfortable for readers to try and understand someone that is so abnormal.
I believe stereotypes persist because a character’s personality must be relatable to a large percentage of people. As such, writers tend to stick with what is socially normal as these people are easy to connect with and visualize. And even if you don’t connect with everything about the character, there’s surely a point or two about them that you can understand. However, this doesn’t offer much variety. More often than not, these discrepancies revolve around the differences in sexes. How women should act and behave one way while men another. I would love to see more characters who break these gender types.
At the heart of it all, what should make the character believable is not their sex, but rather their actions and reactions to the story around them and how in sync that behavior is with their personality. If the character is timid and shy, they aren’t likely to go hunt down a killer but rather call the police, however if the character is headstrong and reckless, they might very well chase after the killer.
My point is there are several base personality types, but they can vary and change depending on the person and thus could essentially produce hundreds or thousands of combinations. What defines people and more specifically male and female characters is not so black and white.
Personally, I don’t think stereotypes are something writers should continue to encourage. I believe writers should showcase a variety of people, especially if they break social norms and challenge the reader to rethink their assumptions. If you’re still a little confused about my rant, here’s an example:
Jordan- A strong, confident individual who likes to take control of a situation and lead by example.
Alex- A soft-spoken, compassionate person who likes helping others and solving problems.
Now this is where you come in. These characters could be normal or abnormal depending on how you view them. So I’m wondering what you think. Which one of these people is a male character? Which one is a female character? And why? Could you imagine the genders being swapped?
How to Write Real Villains
My newest blog post at There And Draft Again is up! As usual it is written with fantasy writers in mind, but I think this post more so than others can apply outside the genre. Villains are always the weak link in stories and I feel this post could help writers mold their villains into believable, multidimensional characters. Enjoy!
Planning Vs Pantsing
Every writer has a different way of going about producing their stories, but generally speaking we fall into two camps. You’re either someone who plans the story ahead of time, with outlines, brainstorming and perhaps a scene or two already written; or you fly by the seat of your pants and jump into the writing without second guessing your inspiration. Both have their pitfalls but both methods are also effective in getting your novel written. I’ve compiled some pros and cons of both:
Planning Pros:
- Can help identify the progress of the story ahead of time
- Helps avoid continuity errors in plot and character development
- Provides an outline to follow when writing
Planning Cons:
- Limits the writer to a predetermined plan
- Can cause creativity problems
- May stall the writer from actually putting pen to paper
Pantsing Pros:
- Allows the writer to harness their muse and act on instinct
- Offers the freedom of inspiration and change
- Isn’t bound by rules
Pantsing Cons:
- Can easily divert the story into confusing territory
- May lack flow and continuity in plot and characters
- Inspiration can end abruptly
Personally, I plan the story out, but when I get ready to write, I don’t often review my outline. During the writing process, I let inspiration take me away and allow ideas flow as they will instead of restricting myself to the pre-planned outline. However, if I get stuck or confused, I can easily refer to my original plan. It’s a tactic I call, planning pantser.
Which way do you write? What have been the pros and cons you’ve experience using your method?
11 Weird Questions Answered
Oh hey, look! Another meme I was tagged in! I’m supposed to answer these strange 11 questions and then tag 11 people to join in the interrogation fun! So let’s get this show on the road!
1. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten in public?
I’m an adventurous eater, so what is perfectly normal to me might be strange to someone else. I’ve eaten kangaroo, ostrich, allagator, tongue and stomach just to name a few.
2. If you had to go on an adventure, with elves, dwarves, or hobbits, who would you take and why?
I’m going to assume these humanoids are Lord of the Rings version and as such I will choose elves. Because how can you not want to hang out with an immortal warrior with a bow and arrow that looks like Orlando Bloom?
3. You are at a rural retreat lodge somewhere deep in Wisconsin or Canada. You are approached by a taxidermist who hands you a stuffed badger and asks you to put it in your lap. What do you do next?
Pet it x) Poor badger’s been through enough…
4. If you were given biscotti, would you prefer it with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate. Duh.
5. In your opinion, who is the funniest man or woman alive today (comedian)
I’m particularly fond of Ellen DeGeneres. She’s not only hilarious, but incredibly sweet, generous and kind.
6. If you were given thirty seconds on television to say something, what would it be?
I would probably be freaking out and stuttering something unintellegable.
7. What is your idea of the most romantic date setting ever?
A picnic in spring while flowers are in bloom on a grassy hillside next to a white water stream.
8. If you could go on one date with a movie or television star, who would it be and why?
I think I’ll go with Johnny Depp simply because it would be super interesting to get to know him. Or Ewan McGregor so he could speak to me in his beautiful accent.
9. What is the worst song you have ever heard?
That techno song “I’m blue” that came out in the 90’s. He’s blue, he’s a guy and he lives in a blue house with a blue little window…..It haunts me…
10. If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?
The English country side. If right down the road was a Caribbean beach lol
11. Who- in your opinion- was the greatest person to ever live?
That’s a tough call. My primary choice would be Abraham Lincoln. He kept my country together in the face of great turmoil, he put a stop to slavery and he was a great man. Others would be, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Bill Clinton, Winston Chruchill, Margaret Thatcher, FDR, Bill Gates, and plenty of people the general public doesn’t know.
And for my typical response to tagging: free for all!
Pitch Wars Mentee 2014
Awards
