What, me plot-noodle?
Jan. 18th, 2005 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellarienThis morning, instead of grabbing a book as I went out, I grabbed my box of plot-cards, and contemplated them on the bus. Almost immediately, I spotted a major problem. Claris, my protagonist, doesn't do anything. Things happen to her, and she meets people and has conversations and gives the odd performance, but that's about it. It doesn't help that most of the plot takes place aboard a ship that trundles through hyperspace almost literally on rails, and Claris is not much more than a passenger.
The other problem, which has been bugging me ever since I wrote most of the first chapter, is that when she does do something, or at least stubbornly refuse to do something, it doesn't make sense. By this I don't mean that I don't know why she does it in the sense that she's doing things I don't want her to; rather, she's doing the thing I want because I'm writing her that way, but she has no internal motivation that I can see. She might as well be a plasticene figure that I'm prodding into the poses I want for the plot.
Later in the day, a possible solution to the latter problem occurred to me. It would actually make more sense for her, and move the plot more logically, if she does give in under interrogation, implicates the long-distance friend who set her up to annoy the authorities, and then has to live with what she's done. She still has to get off-planet, and when they finally meet, there'll be more conflict. It doesn't help with making her into a strong sympathetic character from the beginning, of course. I have a fairly high tolerance for weak, whiny characters myself, but I know a lot of readers don't.
The other idea I have is to have her become more involved with the mysterious behind-the-wainscot inhabitants of the ship, helping them in some active way and doing some growing-up in the progress. In the meantime, I have to deal with a scared, lonely, young character and make her something more than pitiful.
Also, I need a writing icon, but not tonight.
The other problem, which has been bugging me ever since I wrote most of the first chapter, is that when she does do something, or at least stubbornly refuse to do something, it doesn't make sense. By this I don't mean that I don't know why she does it in the sense that she's doing things I don't want her to; rather, she's doing the thing I want because I'm writing her that way, but she has no internal motivation that I can see. She might as well be a plasticene figure that I'm prodding into the poses I want for the plot.
Later in the day, a possible solution to the latter problem occurred to me. It would actually make more sense for her, and move the plot more logically, if she does give in under interrogation, implicates the long-distance friend who set her up to annoy the authorities, and then has to live with what she's done. She still has to get off-planet, and when they finally meet, there'll be more conflict. It doesn't help with making her into a strong sympathetic character from the beginning, of course. I have a fairly high tolerance for weak, whiny characters myself, but I know a lot of readers don't.
The other idea I have is to have her become more involved with the mysterious behind-the-wainscot inhabitants of the ship, helping them in some active way and doing some growing-up in the progress. In the meantime, I have to deal with a scared, lonely, young character and make her something more than pitiful.
