If I don't like you I don't want to read about you

My daughter's watching a teenage show set in a high school while I'm in her room writing. She just said, there's not one girl at that school that I like.

There's at least one female character on the show I think is okay so I asked, "What about that one?"

My daughter said, "She's stupid." (The girl had been putting up with a really mean boyfriend for a long time, one that got her into big trouble.)

Perplexed I asked, "Then why watch the show?"

She said, "I like that they show real situations even though they're overboard." And even though she thinks all the characters are unlikeable.

If the TV were in my control, I'd turn it off or change the channel. If I were reading a book in which the characters annoyed me so much, I'd stop reading.

It's okay for the villain to annoy me in the show. In fact, I expect that to happen. But not the protagonists. I'm not into ditzy, TSTL people.

That said, I think almost everybody can have the occasional ditzy moment. Everybody can do something stupid every now and then. If not, then why would a supposedly intelligent human have an affair with a dangerous vampire? Vampire romance lovers overlook that.

When a hero or heroine is too silly, too stupid, or for any reason is unlikeable to the reader, the story falls flat. There are too many stories - movies and books - to waste time on one in which you can't care about the main character.

It should be easy to write about only likeable, lovable characters then, right?

I wish.

Writing is hard work. Not just the grammar or stringing words together. A lot of writers can write beautiful prose but their plots and characters fall flat. And vice versa.

Getting all the elements right takes practice. It takes a lot of perseverance. It helps to have a second pair of eyes and a second opinion.


Recent posts you might like to read:

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People Don't Fall Out of Trees - Without Reason 

I'm Part of a Tribe 

Big Brother Is Watching You - This Means You BLOGGERS!

Are You Writing Me Into Your Book?

Dont Give Up Too Early

Must Write Must Write Must Write!!!

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook,
Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch,
Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape
are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Juke Boxes and Dime Shakes

Wow! Did shakes really only cost 10 cents once upon a time? As far as I remember, not in my lifetime. I remember five and dime stores - even after I was married. I guess that tells you how old I am, but not dime shakes. Today, as I took two of my kids to see "Return to Witch Mountain", two things happened that made me feel old and also think about skyrocketing prices. One, that the movie's a remake. I saw bits and pieces on TV but I never saw the whole movie so I don't know if the remake is exactly like the original or a lot different. It also cost almost $30 for the three of us to see a matinee - well, with two drinks (no popcorn, no nachos, no candy). Two, after the movie, my daughter's friend was showing us pictures of her family on her cell phone. One was of her brother after he saw a jukebox. He was so amazed. Juke boxes are cute. They're cool. They're fun. But amazing??? He'd never seen one before. Nor had she. To them, it was an ancient artifact. Has it really been that long since juke boxes went the way of the do do? I hadn't thought so, but both my daughter and her friend told me they've not seen them before - they're 18. Has it been 18 or more years since there were juke boxes in every diner? I hadn't thought so, but maybe. Has 18 years really flown by so fast? And how long as it been since we could buy anything for a dime? Public phone calls rose to 25 cents when I was a teenager in high school. Now you can hardly find a public phone. Everybody has cell phones. Penny candy isn't sold for a penny any more. We think if something costs $1.00 it's a bargain. My kids go wild in the dollar stores. They can't imagine buying something for a nickle or a dime. Prices are always on the rise. We always seem to be talking about inflation. But it seems that the past year the grocery costs go up by leaps and bounds. I'm staggered. You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)