tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post1058536343538854988..comments2023-12-26T18:33:04.681-08:00Comments on Writability: Do Your Characters Make Enough Mistakes?Gabe (Ava Jae)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04778524723148508140noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-55856997227055263262012-06-18T18:40:37.752-07:002012-06-18T18:40:37.752-07:00Very good point, Caroline! A good angle to take fo...Very good point, Caroline! A good angle to take for some character development, for sure. I'll keep that in mind.<br />:-)Gracenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-49636990071038584062012-06-18T17:02:41.240-07:002012-06-18T17:02:41.240-07:00Hey Grace,
That could be a boon for character de...Hey Grace,<br /><br /><br />That could be a boon for character development, too. How does (s)he react when (she) does make a mistake?<br /><br /><br />Cheers! :)Carolinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-14774735227823944242012-06-18T02:03:36.511-07:002012-06-18T02:03:36.511-07:00Thank you! ^_^Thank you! ^_^Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-65594804363335367992012-06-18T02:03:32.705-07:002012-06-18T02:03:32.705-07:00Great post!Great post!Madison Johnshttp://www.facebook.com/people/Madison-Johns/531976924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-2397805090426950952012-06-13T08:55:11.067-07:002012-06-13T08:55:11.067-07:00I feel your pain on the perfectionist thing. Glad ...I feel your pain on the perfectionist thing. Glad this post served as a reminder to make sure your characters aren't <i>too</i> perfect. :) <br /><br /><br />Thanks for commenting, Grace!Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-10760960748749567762012-06-12T13:22:41.359-07:002012-06-12T13:22:41.359-07:00Thanks for this post! The main character of my WIP...Thanks for this post! The main character of my WIP is a bit too much like me in that we're both perfectionists, so even the thought of making a mistake is disturbing. Naturally, I make mistakes all the time despite my best efforts. :-P This post is a good reminder to me to make sure that my main character makes a few mistakes, too; she's just as human as I am. :)Gracenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-76069491285024870072012-06-12T11:56:27.764-07:002012-06-12T11:56:27.764-07:00I don't. :)I don't. :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-56780197966013585282012-06-12T11:56:17.126-07:002012-06-12T11:56:17.126-07:00Thank you, Farhan! I've shared that quote befo...Thank you, Farhan! I've shared that quote before on tumblr. It has a lot of truth to it.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-19138938125195564252012-06-12T11:56:05.358-07:002012-06-12T11:56:05.358-07:00BTW Ms. Jaedra may I ask, if you don't mind - ...BTW Ms. Jaedra may I ask, if you don't mind - how do you earn money from this blog as there are no ads here?Farhannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-72128572352613857172012-06-12T11:54:11.135-07:002012-06-12T11:54:11.135-07:00And really interesting post.And really interesting post.farhannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-81267465546953131592012-06-12T11:52:44.367-07:002012-06-12T11:52:44.367-07:00I posted this quote yesterday on my Facebook page....I posted this quote yesterday on my Facebook page.<br /><br />"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." - EinsteinFarhannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-59976590597888076172012-06-12T11:14:14.786-07:002012-06-12T11:14:14.786-07:00Thank you, Lori! :)Thank you, Lori! :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-9578170163070855252012-06-12T11:14:04.088-07:002012-06-12T11:14:04.088-07:00Thank you, Steven! You're absolutely right--wh...Thank you, Steven! You're absolutely right--when your characters make big mistakes, plot points that come afterwards often feel like they're building themselves. Certain even just flow naturally after an influential decision. <br /><br /><br />Thanks for commenting! ^_^Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-33568692774699474092012-06-12T10:34:49.638-07:002012-06-12T10:34:49.638-07:00as always, good advice.as always, good advice.lorinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-37265025307220807492012-06-12T10:05:34.266-07:002012-06-12T10:05:34.266-07:00This is really an excellent point. For some reason...This is really an excellent point. For some reason in a few of my story ideas I had been having issues coming up with plot points... but when your character makes big mistakes it almost builds the plot for you. Great post! Keep 'em coming. I always look forward to them! :)<br /><br /><br />Author StevenAuthor Stevennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-25221952248563455742012-06-12T06:14:37.935-07:002012-06-12T06:14:37.935-07:00"Accidentally" releasing a dragon on Tra..."Accidentally" releasing a dragon on Trafalgar Square--I love it. :D Sounds like you've got the high consequences to your characters' mistakes down pat.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-78305160653678545582012-06-11T23:15:54.739-07:002012-06-11T23:15:54.739-07:00Yeah, my characters are walking disaster areas. On...Yeah, my characters are walking disaster areas. One guy unleashed a dragon on London because he has a dislike of the lion statues at Trafalgar Square. It was kinda accidental but still taught him a lesson.Matthew Rowehttp://twitter.com/RoweMatthewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-28956575095181121592012-06-11T19:27:43.952-07:002012-06-11T19:27:43.952-07:00Hi Sydney! I think like everything in writing, the...Hi Sydney! I think like everything in writing, there <i>is</i> such a thing as too much of a good thing, but I think as far as WIPs go, it's probably safer to err on the side of your character possibly making too many mistakes rather than too few. Easier to fix the former, if necessary. :) <br /><br /><br />Good luck with your writing!Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-32481718825351104332012-06-11T19:24:50.852-07:002012-06-11T19:24:50.852-07:00I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I found ...I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I found that image--it really was exactly what I was looking for. Thankfully, I can't think of very many characters that didn't make <i>any</i> mistakes in their respective stories, and there's a good reason for that.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-1701183222290793132012-06-11T17:59:55.951-07:002012-06-11T17:59:55.951-07:00Hi Ava. This was a great post today. I was readyi...Hi Ava. This was a great post today. I was readying through my WIP yesterday afraid that my MC was to much of a screw up. That readers may get tired of her always making the wrong choices, even though the moment when she finally understands what everyone else is saying about her behavior is epic, but now I am looking at it differently. Thanks.Sydney Aaliyahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-88085356290894559502012-06-11T13:23:35.509-07:002012-06-11T13:23:35.509-07:00Love the image, such a perfect fit. If characters ...Love the image, such a perfect fit. If characters don't make mistakes...they're not real characters. No "character" can be perfect. If there are such, (unless they're some version of a god-like authority) I don't want to know about them. *holds hands over ears*Margaret Alexanderhttp://twitter.com/markedforpowernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-80429407014253637012012-06-11T08:47:41.646-07:002012-06-11T08:47:41.646-07:00Agreed. I don't necessarily blame her reaction...Agreed. I don't necessarily blame her reaction all things considered, but had she reacted differently I suspect a certain character might have survived the novel (or at least, lived longer).Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-21002908296474474802012-06-11T08:41:08.091-07:002012-06-11T08:41:08.091-07:00Hmm...thinking about it, it was a mistake on Tris&...Hmm...thinking about it, it <i>was</i> a mistake on Tris' part. Sure, it was partly deserved, considering what the other character did to her, but it's a heat-of-the-moment action that leads to another chain of unpleasant events.Chihuahua Zerohttp://www.youngaspiringwriter.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-30436509076576447692012-06-11T08:05:06.389-07:002012-06-11T08:05:06.389-07:00Great point about character mistakes being reasona...Great point about character mistakes being reasonable. I tend to find that those kind of ridiculously (and unrealistically) stupid mistakes are more common in movies, but it can be equally frustrating on the page. Thanks for commenting! :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-39750095880883301562012-06-11T06:58:33.727-07:002012-06-11T06:58:33.727-07:00Great timing on this post! I've been trying to...Great timing on this post! I've been trying to think of some interesting plot twists for my WIP, and I love the idea of the characters making mistakes. I think it's great that you used HP as an example -- in spite of all of Harry's awesome character traits (he's loyal to a fault, brave, determined) -- that boy can hold a grudge, can't he? It's fantastic that his misjudgments are used as a plot twist.<br /><br />At the same time, I think the character's mistakes need to fit in the realm of reasonable. I hate watching horror movies and screaming at the TV "What are you thinking! Why are you going into the dark abandoned cabin with blood dripping from the walls!" LOL. Great post!<br /><br />http://nickieanderson.blogspot.com/Nickie McCallhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=683540430noreply@blogger.com