1. led-chan

    led-chan New Member

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    please help me

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by led-chan, Mar 12, 2009.

    I'm kinda stuck in a story I'm trying to write recently.
    My main character is a girl who was kidnapped by a terrorist organization.
    Her best friend was killed by them, and she doesn't know what happened with her boyfriend.
    After the kidnap, she is taken to a lab because of a special power they find in her and violently tested by mad scientists.
    After that the leader of that organization was supported to make her fight for them and she is slowly started to understand them and to fight on their side.
    I wanted her to help a guy that something similar happened to him to stop being depressed and all.
    I started to write this, but my character just hate them too much and I violated her so much so now she became depressed and wants to die and when she doesn't depressed she wants to kill them, she became so hateful I can barely continue writing this. It hurt me too much.
    That wasn't my intent.
    I don't know what to do with her, and how to make her develop the way I want.
    T_T


    oh, and sorry for my crappy english, this is not my native language.
     
  2. Ohmytheoctopus

    Ohmytheoctopus New Member

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    As weird as it sounds, I dont think you can make her develop the way you want. Sometimes a character takes a turn that you didnt expect and you end up with the problem you're in.

    Try writing some side stuff (short stories, etc) with her as your MC, but put her in different situations, different settings, or at different points in her life (childhood, teen years).

    It could also help to do a little research on the psychological aspects of what she's been put through, stockholm syndrome and all that jazz. It always helps to be informed.

    Lastly, dont be afraid to go back and start over. It sounds like a good story idea, but maybe you're overworking it. Well, that's all I can think of.
     
  3. Speedy

    Speedy Contributor Contributor

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    My characters are always breaking command and doing stuff they arent supposed to. It's okay for a character to go outside their notmal path and do something different. Its normal... but as a writer you really should have some control where its going. If you arn't maybe go back to the drawing boards and re-program (rewrtie) a few different morals into her. After which she might be better behaived ;) (though she'll still breakcommand here and their, or i should hope so).
     
  4. Mcarpenter

    Mcarpenter New Member

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    You need to trace your path back to the point where you lost your way and try adjusting things from there. Otherwise you'll end up 'forcing' your character to do your will and it's going to turn out seeming unnatural.

    In film making, good directors give the actors freedom to reword the lines (to an extent) in a way that feels more natural to them. Otherwise they end up with a shot that seems forced and fake. Let your story reword itself in your head and see if the outcome is more to your liking.
     
  5. Cheeno

    Cheeno Member

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    Irrespective of what we always hear about characters taking on a momentum of their own, you as the writer actually do retain overall control of the story you are writing. You are the one who can 'cut' out what you're not happy with until you're back at a point you can begin the process of rectification. Putting things right is what we do as writers, so don't feel guilty or disempowered by a character getting out of hand - simply cut back and reconsider your options. Good luck with it.
     
  6. B-Gas

    B-Gas New Member

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    Here's a way to put the character back under your control, and it's worked for me twice- Write an interview between yourself and them. Get into their head. Figure them out. Write your questions, then write their responses- if they surprise you, then dig deeper, figure out why they responded that way. They'll know, and you'll learn things about their character you only had down in outlines before. I had no idea my hero had such immense father issues before I tried this. It changed the plot, explained some of the background I hadn't understood, and I went from a character outline to a person I really wanted to follow.
     
  7. Benska

    Benska New Member

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    A couple suggestions,

    If you really can't bring yourself to direct your character's path in the present, then maybe you can go back and change some of your character's past, or background, in order to give them a logical reason for going in a certain direction.
    Even the slightest change in events could give you that little bit of leverage that you need to nudge them in the right direction.

    If you can't manipulate your character at all, then maybe you can manipulate the situation, so that they have no choice but to do what you need them to.

    Good luck. :)
     
  8. hiddennovelist

    hiddennovelist Contributor Contributor

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    Interviewing your character is a great idea!! That could really help you figure out where to take your writing and possibly help you get back on track.

    I also agree with the suggestion to try writing some side plots with your character. Maybe taking a little break from the point you've gotten stuck at will help you figure out what you can do to continue the story (or what you can change to get it where you would like it to be).

    I hope you work things out with your character! I was in a similar situation once, and it's tough to figure out what to do, but don't be afraid to experiment with your writing to try and find something that works. :)
     
  9. Chaoslogic

    Chaoslogic Member

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    If I was captured and given massive amounts of torture, I'd become depressed and want to kill them as well unless I developed a case of Stockholm Syndrome.
     
  10. Mercutio

    Mercutio New Member

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    What everyone here is saying should be very helpful to you. I especially agree that tracing her development to the point where she went where you didn't want to go is the way you should go.

    It sounds to me like your character is becoming suicidal and without any purpose. If she aquired a purposeful existence, like the ability to help someone else in custody, that might make her less depressed and hateful.
     

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