tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post841534206329725115..comments2024-03-28T10:41:26.999-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: When Do You Fire A Protagonist?Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-73227094080351251282016-06-14T01:24:39.850-06:002016-06-14T01:24:39.850-06:00I agree, Diana. For me, the trick is not to reduce...I agree, Diana. For me, the trick is not to reduce how interesting the secondary characters are, but to push my protagonist harder to rise to the occasion and stay out in front, or to consider whether one of those secondary characters might be better as the protagonist.Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04051728774050516027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-35735314280820589732016-06-14T01:19:27.332-06:002016-06-14T01:19:27.332-06:00Wow, I've only heard of a very few stories wit...Wow, I've only heard of a very few stories with two protagonists, Morgan. That sounds very interesting. I hope you'll share more about that sometime...Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04051728774050516027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-13005161332686504452016-06-13T08:24:46.343-06:002016-06-13T08:24:46.343-06:00Amongst the stories in my critique group, sometime...Amongst the stories in my critique group, sometimes someone other than the protagonist steals all the scenes. You have to be careful to not make your secondary characters more interesting (and active in the story) than your protagonist.Diana Hurwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216220574149672733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-582455619785086822016-06-11T10:20:08.973-06:002016-06-11T10:20:08.973-06:00Sometimes we get a mind block and don't realiz...Sometimes we get a mind block and don't realize what we're doing is just not working. I'm glad you figured yours out. I didn't fire my protagonist, but I'm thinking of making two protagonists equal in my work in progress, instead of giving the heroine a minor role.Morgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-68683195513086905212016-06-11T01:23:46.282-06:002016-06-11T01:23:46.282-06:00Thanks, Heidi. It's gratifying to feel underst...Thanks, Heidi. It's gratifying to feel understood, especially when it took so much unexpected extra writing to reach this point. Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04051728774050516027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-62843554622297609072016-06-10T14:57:09.547-06:002016-06-10T14:57:09.547-06:00What a fascinating post and experience! I've n...What a fascinating post and experience! I've never had to fire one either, but I understand why you did. Thank you for sharing this with us!Heidiwriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593338979995203659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-67515403607452224752016-06-10T10:59:46.130-06:002016-06-10T10:59:46.130-06:00Hahaha, Christopher, I can always count on you for...Hahaha, Christopher, I can always count on you for a laugh. Yup, I've had to call a few characters on the carpet. 😆Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04051728774050516027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-35608752009764583692016-06-10T10:57:08.954-06:002016-06-10T10:57:08.954-06:00An author-friend of mine noticed that in one of he...An author-friend of mine noticed that in one of her books, Patricia, so she made the secondary character the star of the sequel. Great book!Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04051728774050516027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-69162142376762327602016-06-10T08:51:48.351-06:002016-06-10T08:51:48.351-06:00Never fired a protagonist, Cara, but have called t...Never fired a protagonist, Cara, but have called them on the carpet.Christopher Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667548312923348614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-7363908601850939392016-06-10T08:21:12.524-06:002016-06-10T08:21:12.524-06:00I love this description of the evolving story and ...I love this description of the evolving story and change of protagonist, Cara. I haven't changed a protagonist yet, but I have a couple of novels where a secondary character shows more promise for future books than my main character does. Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-69490470675740864522016-06-10T01:42:21.321-06:002016-06-10T01:42:21.321-06:00I've just completed my third novel and I had t...I've just completed my third novel and I had to let one of the characters go. He was just getting in the way and requiring to much non-productive verbiage to justify his place in the cast.<br />As I write novels about adult relationships during times of stress I like to add children into the mix. Although they do not take centre stage in the action, I find their presence allows my other characters to show an additional dimension to their personalities. Alex Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205088731639162798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-45827226815763739252016-06-09T18:30:52.706-06:002016-06-09T18:30:52.706-06:00So true, Maryann. As we gain experience we develop...So true, Maryann. As we gain experience we develop increasingly better instincts for recognizing these things sooner. A colleague of mine still thanks me now and again for what I told her the day she was reworking and reworking a potentially clever line that she just couldn't get to read the way she wanted. I told her, "When I'm struggling that hard to make it work, to me that says there's something wrong. I'd toss it out." Effort is great, but struggle? Not so much.Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04051728774050516027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-70431308730261983962016-06-09T15:50:43.996-06:002016-06-09T15:50:43.996-06:00I haven't had to fire a protagonist, but I can...I haven't had to fire a protagonist, but I can see that there are times when a writer must. And I liked your mention of the manuscript screaming at you. I think that in time, and experience, we all have that little inner voice that tells us, "This isn't working," even as we push and push to make it work. I have finally learned to listen to that voice much sooner and waste less time trying to make something right that is all wrong.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-61894029132549243822016-06-09T13:57:10.952-06:002016-06-09T13:57:10.952-06:00Thanks so much for your thoughts, Linda. Indeed, t...Thanks so much for your thoughts, Linda. Indeed, the antagonist still has a POV in my book, which weaves back and forth between the viewpoints of protagonist and antagonist. At a workshop I once attended, the speaker suggested, "If your antagonist is more interesting than your protagonist, you might have the wrong protagonist." I panicked for a moment, thinking, oh no, do I need to change the book again? Then I realized my antagonist was way too irredeemable to make a satisfying protagonist. That did make me realize, though, that I had to work hard to make my protagonist dynamic.Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04051728774050516027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-29138649100256753742016-06-09T13:51:01.994-06:002016-06-09T13:51:01.994-06:00Hahaha, I got a kick out of your response, Polly. ...Hahaha, I got a kick out of your response, Polly. The day someone with a background in child psychology told me that a three-year-old was too young to fear death I knew I had a problem.Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04051728774050516027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-53600165872641451702016-06-09T11:32:25.692-06:002016-06-09T11:32:25.692-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16056682992943171805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-62769157057441793352016-06-09T11:32:20.010-06:002016-06-09T11:32:20.010-06:00Because I use multiple points of view (that's ...Because I use multiple points of view (that's the way my mind works), I haven't had to fire any protagonists -- yet. I do include children, sometimes very young children, but not as POV characters. I also occasionally slip into the antagonist's POV to show how sinister he/she really is, as well as provide some insight into what created that monster who resides in my story.<br />Your post provides great food for thought, Cara. Thank you.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16056682992943171805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-75390714283645972832016-06-09T11:01:13.386-06:002016-06-09T11:01:13.386-06:00What an interesting post. Having a two year old gr...What an interesting post. Having a two year old granddaughter, I can understand how difficult writing from a child's POV could be. I still can't understand her, and she mostly repeats everything others say. Though I didn't read it, I remember the book ROOM was narrated by a five year old boy. So glad you found your way out of the problem. At least you hired her sister.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.com