I wanted to let you know that I finished the second draft of the Mystery of the Body Thief on the 20th of May! The reason I didn't post this earlier was because I had a lot of other posts planned, and I wanted to take some time to write this post. (And not rush it).
It feels so great to have the second draft done, because now I can move onto the third! And I have a lot of plans for the third draft.
Here is a little bit of a behind-the-scenes for drafting. To keep myself organized I've been creating folders for the different drafts of my novel:
I do this because I've written different scenes in different documents, and it is easy to lose them or confuse them because of that. I do not want to confuse the first draft with the second draft, nor the third draft with the second, or anything else along those lines.
But let's now move onto what is next for TheMystery of the Body Thief:
Synopsis-
Genres: Fantasy | Murder Mystery Series: It is the first book in the Lady Annabelle Mystery Series.
Horatio wakes up from being in a coma, but he doesn't remember anything that happened before he fell into unconsciousness. All that he remembers is a name, "Annabelle!"
Also... Detective Inspector Time finds himself having to solve a case without Lady Annabelle.
Murders have been happening throughout many different kingdoms, and no one knows who exactly is behind it all.
What's Next for The Mystery of the Body Thief?
So as not to rush either story and to give more time to both, I have decided to divide the novel (which was originally 255,185 words) into two books. So as to be thoughtfully written rather than something that is just dashed off, this is going to be a book series. I suppose it is good that I already have three books planned out for it as opposed to just one.
On another note, I have realized that the names are very inconsistent. I have characters whose names are common and others whose names are unusual (ones that I made up myself). I realized, after compiling a blog post as to what changed in my story, that the common names were left over from the novel originally being in the genre, Alternate History. To give it more of a High Fantasy feeling of another world, I decided I needed to rename some characters.
I am in the middle of renaming Annabelle, Angela, and Marigold. Some names will stay the same like Horatio's. I realized, even though something like Lord of the Rings has fantastical names, they also have some real names (they are few and far between), but they are woven into the story enough that they don't sound strange. At the moment the naming for my story is all over the place, so I am going to try and fix that in the third draft. When I do change their names expect their profiles on this blog to be updated with their changed names.
In the third draft I will also be continuing to world-build. I have more ideas for what the world is like, and the magic system has become much more clear to me, than it was before (before it was barely there).
Also, since I was rewriting and reworking the story from 2018-2020, it meant that I had to give myself an outline for the third draft in this drafting. The scenes are much like Dolls of Wax Eyes of Glass's first draft, but that was because I was trying to make sense of stuff that I wrote years ago. And, I wanted this draft to give me an idea of how somethings will play out in the third draft. So I now have an outline that isn't my 2018 writing to work with.
Greetings fellow actors and Shakespeare enthusiasts!
I performed a version of "To Be or Not To Be" from Hamletin 2019. It's been three years since then and I have learned a lot more about Shakespeare (and video editing) since I first performed it. So, I recently revisited it and reworked it. This is the end result. I hope you enjoy it:
I've found that the way in which I approached the soliloquy was much different now than it was in 2019. In 2019 I focused more on the theme of death (I actually had a prop sword with me when performing it). But this time around I tried to be more philosophical. For example I asked myself, "what if I were to die, what then?" and "what happens after death?" There is of course, no right way to approach the soliloquy, but I find it interesting how the way in which I approached it has changed.
On a similar note, I actually made a video which you can watch here comparing the performances by placing them next to each other.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is your favorite Shakespeare play? And do you have a favorite character or part from Hamlet?
So, I decided to do another double tag post. Because both these tags involve writing or have questions about it, I thought it made sense to include them in the same post.
For the first tag: The Jolly Genre Jubilee Tag, I was tagged by McKayla at Tales of a Triple Threat. Thank you, McKayla. :D
I misread the rule at first and for some reason thought you wanted to find a gif of a seagull (and was going to reference "Seagulls Stop It Now"). Then I realized after I had found a really cute seagull gif that you actually wanted one of a pelican....
So, anyway let's begin:
What is your favorite genre of fiction to write?
I have two genres I write in a lot: Fantasy and Gothic.
I have been writing Fantasy for a very long time. My first novels were in this genre. Specifically, the sub-genre of Fantasy I tend to write the most is High Fantasy. I love spending time creating different worlds, species, and magic systems.
I started writing Gothic more recently, and I am enjoying it very much. I am writing my first Gothic novel right now, titled Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass.
What genre would you NEVER get caught writing.....EVER?
(Felix is against the genre of Gothic (even though he is in a Gothic novel)...So, I felt this was fitting for this question)
I think YA fiction. Not that I have anything against it, but right now I can't imagine myself writing a story in that genre. Partly because I tend to write stories with older protagonists (or younger protagonists). However, one day I could write a story with young adult main characters, but at the moment I don't have plans to.
I also don't want to write a book that is romance only. I usually like books that have a subplot of romance, but don't have the book centered completely on that.
What fictional genre feels most like home to you?
It's a mix of High Fantasy and Gothic for me. I like them both for different reasons, and I find them comforting for different reasons.
I like High Fantasy because I can escape into different worlds of my own imagination, and I can imagine what it would be like to have magic or be another creature (that isn't human).
What I find comforting about Gothic literature is that I can make myself scared in a fun way, and not scared or stressed in a real way. This is important to me with the world being so unpredictable right now.
If you could transform your life into any genre of your choosing, what would it be?
(Elm (left) and Oak (right) who are characters from a Fantasy story of mine)
High Fantasy for sure! I want to live in a world where I am a shapeshifter or an elf, where magic is everywhere, and where adventures await. It just seems super fun and something I would really like to do. (At this point, this answer probably isn't surprising to you.)
What genre does your real life resemble at the moment?
Interestingly, my life is like a Gothic novel at the moment. There is a lot of fear regarding the unknown, and everything is a little bit unpredictable, so of course it would fall into the gothic genre.
(Image from Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89724.We_Have_Always_Lived_in_the_Castle?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=3jautJsjTN&rank=1)
I would say in terms of Gothic stories We Have Always Lived in the Castle is what it closely resembles. I would have preferred it to be like The Picture of Dorian Gray or Frankenstein. But nope, my life happens to be like We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
What's a genre you're interested in writing, even though you've never written it before?
Science fiction, I like Star Trek so I've always wanted to write a novel in that genre, however, I haven't gotten around to writing one yet.
What genre is your most recent plot bunny and where did it come from?
I have two plot bunnies that have been hanging around. They are...
The third book in the Lady Annabelle Mystery Series. I had an idea for a third book in my head for a while, and now I finally know what is going to happen in it. It is a Fantasy/Murder Mystery. The novel was inspired by a mixture of different songs, though I had a bit of an idea in my head for what should happen before inspiration struck.
The second is The Haunted Sketchbook,which is Gothic and Historical Fiction. It (like Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass) was inspired by a nightmare. And I plan to write it once I finish Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass. I also plan to delve more into the details of the story in later posts.
How many genres have you written thus far in your writing journey?
Be prepared, the list is long...
Fantasy, murder mysteries/crime fiction, fan fiction (in comic form), super hero (also in comic form), gothic, historical fiction, romance (as a subplot), contemporary, humor/satire, retellings, poetry, a little bit of science fiction (if we count my numerous fanfics of star trek), ghost stories, spiritual (All Is Not Lost For All Begin Again is in that genre) and so many more.
1. What is your favorite genre of fiction to write?
2. What genre would you NEVER get caught writing.....EVER?
3. What fictional genre feels most like home to you?
4. If you could transform your life into any genre of your choosing, what would it be?
5. What genre does your real life resemble at the moment?
6. What's a genre you're interested in writing, even though you've never written it before?
7. What genre is your most recent plot bunny and where did it come from?
8. How many genres have you written thus far in your writing journey?
For the Second Tag: The HonsTEA Tag, I was tagged by McKayla at Tales From a Triple Threat and by Elizabeth from Autumn Ink. Thank you, McKayla and Elizabeth. :) The tag was created by Nie at From Nie.
The badge:
The rules-
- no lies allowed. if an answer is too shameful to expose you may substitute the answer with a gif/image of someone drinking tea.
- there are optional bonus additions to questions but these are not for the faint of heart. if you complete the tag having answered every question + the bonus additions (no gifs used), you are dubbed a certified tea chugger, and you deserve a badge to show the world that you are not afraid of a steaming hot cup of TRUTH. tag at least one other person (a tea party with just one is not very fun. trust me.) untagged persons are more than welcome to fill it out as well (nothing cooler than crashing a tea party).
what is a 'bad' (generally disliked) movie that you actually love?
(Image from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Beasts%3A_The_Crimes_of_Grindelwald#/media/File:Fantastic_Beasts_-_The_Crimes_of_Grindelwald_Poster.png)
This is generally disliked movie because the lore of Harry Potter was altered and distorted. Since I had only read the first five books of Harry Potter, it didn't bother me or affect my enjoyment of the film. In fact, I viewed the movies as a series unrelated to Harry Potter franchise.(I also enjoyed the first Fantastic Beasts film, which is why I wanted to see the second).
In regards to the issues involving the characters and lore, I didn't even know who Nagini was until I looked the character up later, so I was unaware of the controversy about what Rowling did to the character. My first thought was that she was a new character, who happened to be able to turn into a snake, not that she was going to be Voldemort's (evil) pet later...😬 But if you think about it hard, there are so many things wrong with Rowling's choice to do that with Nagini....
(Image from Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/the-niffler-is-back-as-you-saw-in-the-trailer-and-the-niffler-may-have-babies-eddie-redmayne--459719074460137904/)
But ignoring those elements, I honestly only watched (and rewatched) the movie for Newt Scamander (who is one of my favorite fictional characters), the (baby) Nifflers, and the other beasts. There were some things about the movie that did bother me, but it is very fun to watch nonetheless. But I should say, I don't agree with or support Rowling's recent controversial behavior. I just like the Fantastic Beast movie series.
what is your most shocking reading habit?
Eating snacks while reading. However, I only do this with books I own, and I make sure to wipe off my hands before turning a page. Annotating could also be considered a shocking habit. In academic settings it is accepted, but not everyone approves of writing in a book.
tell us the number one lie you write in your posts.
I...don't have an answer for that. Not that it is too revealing to share what lie I could have had. But the only lie (which wasn't really a lie) I can think of, is me saying "it reminds me of something that happened to me last summer" in this post as opposed to saying "it reminds me of my surgery that happened last summer." So not really a lie. 🤷 Just me being overly ambiguous about what happened that summer. (I wonder if the readers who read that post when it first came out had wild ideas as to what actually happened when they read it because I was so ambiguous about it, just curious...)
(Ophelia drinking tea to wake up in the morning)
So I shall have to post a drawing of someone drinking tea...
tell us the worst character name you've ever thought up. {bonus: share a character name you find ridiculous in a book/movie}
(Lauralas and George...Totally not Legolas and Gimli)
This isn't so much the worst name as a purposeful play on the name Legolas Greenleaf. But it still sounds silly. It's Lauralas Greenfield. The character, was a comic relief character within a group of comic relief characters in my first (finished) novel, Tess Short (book one). They were created both to be a parody of the Fellowship of the Ring and to be comic relief from the stressful action.
And answer to the bonus question. This is not a bad name, but, I always (even though I hadn't read or watched Game of Thrones) found the name "Jon Snow" to be a little odd, because it's so ordinary. Every time I heard it (from people who liked the show) I always thought it was spelled "John Snow." So there is nothing wrong with the name, it just seems out of place in a Fantasy setting.
what is the real reason you procrastinate writing your work in progress?
Generally because I have schoolwork or an (academic) deadline I have to complete. It isn't really procrastination, just a need to get the stuff that is more important done first.
Also sometimes I have other non-writing related projects I'm working on, like videos I film of myself acting (Shakespearian acting, improv, etc.), or animation projects (for example an animated short film), or even writing a song. So once again, it's not really procrastination when it comes to working on those, but, it is sometimes the reason why I am not writing my current novel at the moment.
what is a genre of music you secretly love?
(Elm (left) and Sebastian (right) performing a song together)
Everyone on this blog knows I enjoy this music style, but I do not (usually) tell this people who aren't on my blog this. So, this isn't a secret or a surprise to you, but to the rest of the world it is...
So I like a lot of folk music with Celtic and/or medieval influences. My favorite music tends to be inspired by mythology, folklore, or a fantasy story of some kind. Since it is hard to look up those exact words on a Google Search to find the music I am talking about, I am going to give you examples:
And that is not to say that I am ashamed that I listen to it, I am happy that I found a music style that I love, but I have gotten some weird reactions from people when I tell them what music I listen to and that it isn't mainstream music.
if you're a plotter, what do you really think of pansters? and if you're a panster, what do you really think of plotters?
Honestly, I tried pantsing before and failed at it, so I am very amazed and in awe of people who can do that because I cannot. I get really stuck if I do not plan ahead for what is to happen next. Though, I am usually very good at improvising on stage, on paper it's much, much harder.
share at least three lines of dialogue from one of your first writing projects {bonus: give us the good stuff. your most gruesome butchering of the English language)
I will be sharing two for the first question, from my first ever novels: One that was just called "my novel" and was never finished and another Tess Short (Book One), which was my first completed novel (first draft-wise not editing wise). Since I have really two first novels, I thought I'd share excerpts from both. Here is the opening (unedited prologue) for Tess Short (Book One):
Mr.short was considered a normal Hobbit which means not going out on adventures with elves , fairies or dwarfs or any creatures of any sort. Until he did , which I may say is a story for anther day.
“I don’t understand why he would want to go on a adventure” said Mr.Largefoot.
“Adventures are a waste of time also” he added.
“ and You miss a lot of meals…” added Ms.hairyfoot. folding her laundry into a pile. “But I can’t see why he would run away with that elf like that”
I do actually want to rewrite this novel, given that I really like the characters from it and want to make it less of a...Hobbit rip off. I'm not sure when I will rewrite it, though. Sometime would be nice; maybe in the future.
And then the novel which I simply called "My Novel" (which was unfinished). I stopped part of the way through (because I had writer's block), but it was the story Oak was originally from. Once again this is unedited:
the mist was around the rocks of the beach you could hear the soft sound of a flute playing. but out of the peace and quite a dark looking ship came in. the flute playing stopped, the girl who was the holding the flute got up from were she was sitting,
“What is that doing here?” Delphi said.
she could hear voices inside, she climbed onto the ship, “Now were should I take over first??” a man who seemed to be wearing a crown, but she couldn’t make it out.
...The king was not very stealthy in regards to taking over the kingdom...At all. 🤦(I'm pretty sure he rolled a natural 1 on stealth). Also question (to my younger writer self): "If Delphi is half siren and there are probably other sirens around, how did the king not get lured to his death?" I mean, if he did get lured to his death, all the characters' problems would be solved...easily.
* * * *
And for the bonus question, even though I shared two, I felt spelling-wise this was hilarious. This is from The Case of Confusion, the novel that didn't end up working but introduced me to the characters who ended up being in my current novel (The Mystery of the Body Thief):
"I thought we had solved it!!” said Phillip.
“Well..How could I be sure, and it wasn’t me it was Time” said Annabelle.
“Now your blaming the most famous dective in the world!!” said Phillip.
“Actually I think he is only famous in this kingdom not very much anywhere else”
“Well still your blaming a famous Dective!!” protested Phillip.
I spelled "detective" wrong twice. So, anyway that is all the snippets I will be sharing from my past novels for now.
tell us the title & artist of the last song you listened to.
which beloved book/movie character do you dislike & why?
I have a few book characters I really dislike, but I will go with this one...
(Image from Twitter, https://twitter.com/HorstPhoto/status/540959859043500032)
Anna Karenina. I really wanted to like the book, because I liked other classic Russian books like Crime and Punishment. But I could not enjoy Anna Karenina, because I loathed the title character (and her adulterous-horse-racing boyfriend, Vronsky) with a burning passion. And I just couldn't sympathize with her at all...I somehow could sympathize with Raskolnikov, who is a murderer, but not her.
tell us the title & topic of a post you have left in draft.
"There is no 'correct' way to be creative"
This was me basically writing a rant about "set down rules" for creativity, and how there is no one way to do something creative. I may actually revise that post and post it sometime in the future, though in its current state, I can't really post it.
what is a book you pretend you've read/would like to read but know you never will? {bonus: share a time when claiming you've read a classic/well known book didn't end well}
I do not have an answer for this one because...I tend to read a lot of classic books and I know I am going to eventually read one in the future. I didn't think I would ever read Dracula (when I was younger) and I am currently reading it, so...I can't really make plans for what I won't ever read in the future....
Also I've never really claimed to read a book I hadn't, I've had strong opinions about books even if I hadn't read them (but had read a summary), but never pretended to have read them.
(Matilda drinking tea)
So I guess, I'll have to post an image of someone drinking tea....Since I didn't quite exactly answer the question.
tell us the title & topic of the most embarrassing post you've ever written. {bonus: include. the. link.}
I don't really find my old posts embarrassing so much as funny (sometimes). I do look back at my older posts just to see how I viewed different things when I was younger.
(A drawing of a nameless evil villainess which was included in the post)
I wrote a post the first year I ever did NaNoWriMo called November Novel writing!! (and other fall things). Not only did I talk about the writing I was doing in it (though never talking about what I was writing, just that I was writing), but I posted a drawing and I also included a short book review in it. In that post I say (I highlighted the repetition):
"Inkheart by cornelia funke it's very good so far. the story is very interesting and complex. The characters are very interesting and have very interesting characteristics. I also love that the characters talk about books."
I didn't really describe why the characters were interesting, I just repeated that they and the story were interesting over and over again. Also, I find this line to be so funny (once again, I highlighted the repetition):
"mostly I have been writing and writing, and more writing."
I for some reason find this funny. I mean it's not wrong: I was doing a lot of writing. I just wish I had told people what I was writing. Though, I suppose to say it now. I was writing the first attempt at The Lady Annabelle Mystery Series, which I called The Case of Confusion. That attempt didn't really end up working, but in the end I created The Mystery of the Body Thief,which did end up working.
(The drawing of the nameless villain has nothing to do with the story I was writing. I should add, I just included it in the original post...because).
1. what is a 'bad' (generally disliked) movie that you actually love?
2. what is your most shocking reading habit?
3. tell us the number one lie you write in your posts.
4. tell us the worst character name you've ever thought up. {bonus: share a character name you find ridiculous in a book/movie}
5. what is the real reason you procrastinate writing your work in progress?
6. what is a genre of music you secretly love?
7. if you're a plotter, what do you really think of pansters? and if you're a panster, what do you really think of plotters?
8. share at least three lines of dialogue from one of your first writing projects {bonus: give us the good stuff. your most gruesome butchering of the English language)
9. tell us the title & artist of the last song you listened to.
10. which beloved book/movie character do you dislike & why?
11. tell us the title & topic of a post you have left in draft.
12. what is a book you pretend you've read/would like to read but know you never will? {bonus: share a time when claiming you've read a classic/well known book didn't end well}
13. tell us the title & topic of the most embarrassing post you've ever written. {bonus: include. the. link.}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is your favorite genre to write (or read)? And do you have a genre of music you secretly love?
Often, a thing I see new writers struggling with is giving their characters well-rounded abilities or powers or making their characters human-like.
Giving your character well-rounded abilitiesWhether they be magical or mundane.
(Oak in 2016-17 (left) VS. Now (right))
It can often happen that you end up with an overpowered character. This happened to me a while ago with my character, Oak, who I made invincible in battle because she could turn any weapon against its user. That meant all weapons including arrows would be unable to touch her. Given that Oak is a half dryad, I started from the idea that Dryads can turn an axe on a wood-cutter. But I turned this into an invincible power. Also, in her backstory, Oak survived a forest-fire with no injuries (and seemingly no personal trauma). I've fixed those issues with her now (she now has vulnerabilities and psychological complexities), but it was a problem when I was first starting out.
Balancing Out the Abilities
While a character can be made uninteresting or invincible with something like superpowers, a writer can also make their character's single ability too powerful too even if it is something mundane like sword-fighting. In reality even when someone is good at something, they always have weaknesses. No one will ever be perfect at anything; they will always have something to work on, and having them be absolutely perfect causes problems.
For example, you could be a really good artist and painter but have difficulty drawing hands or eyes. And while you would be a good artist, there would be still things you would need to work on. Those would be your weaknesses or flaws, maybe even something someone would notice if they looked at your artwork. But sometimes when you create characters you have a desire for them to be perfect at everything.
One of the reasons I like Dungeons & Dragons as a writer, is that it forces you to make well rounded characters and not to make them overpowered. Here's an example of what I mean:
(Part of Jinx's character sheet (for Level 4))
If you notice there are skills that the character is really good at (the higher the number the more you add to your roll), and some things the character is not good at (the lower numbers). But even if there is a higher number, there are still skills that aren't as fine-tuned as those with the highest possible number. My character is naturally good at skills that require charisma, but not good at skills related to survival.
That is not to say that your character can't be skilled in more than one thing. They can be, but you should figure out how skilled they are compared to other skills. I'll give you an example of that with three characters from my own novel (who are skilled in more than one thing in different ways). While I don't normally use my own characters as examples, I feel that showing you what I have done with my own characters could potentially help you with yours:
My character Annabelle is proficient in three skillsets (detective work, magic, and fighting), but I figured out how skilled she was in each. The thing that it the easiest for her to do, because she has been working on it for so long, is detective work. She has been working on fighting for quite some time (not as long as detective work), so she can engage in combat and won't be easily defeated (when using a sword or dagger). However, she is unskilled with a bow and arrow. She is slightly skilled with magic, but she is still learning, so her magic (at the moment) is likely to be out of control at times.
So, Annabelle is not invincible as a fighter; however, she is skilled enough that it would be hard to defeat her in battle. But you could get at her weak points if you knew what they were. And as a detective, she would know what she was doing if she walked into a crime scene. However, like I said before, just because it comes easy to you doesn't mean you're perfect at it. At times Annabelle has been wrong about a case.
(D.I. Time (left) Ophelia (right))
Then I have two different characters who have similar abilities, but have different levels of skill. D.I. Time and Ophelia have their own abilities. D.I. Time is like Annabelle, skilled with detective work, however whereas Annabelle is more skilled with sword-fighting than magic, he is more skilled with magic, and he uses it more often than he would a weapon. He finds magic to be more useful to interrogate criminals than brute force.
Ophelia is a healer (and priestess) so has no idea how to use weapons like swords, and she spends most of her time healing people with her earth and air magic. While she is skilled with it, she still has a lot to learn. Also her magic can double as a weapon if she wants. She can make vines and plants grow and cause a small wind storm. However, those take a lot of energy to do, and since she is a healer she cannot hurt people, so she has to use her powers when fighting carefully, so as not to hurt someone.
As you can see, your character can be skilled in many different abilities, but still find some easier than others.
Using Their Mistakes to Propel the Plot-
Then, we come to the other issue: how much does your character being right or wrong influence the plot? If it is a story with an ensemble cast you may want to think about this for each of your characters, but if it is a story with a single main character, think about how their successes and failures influence the plot. It is much less interesting to see someone succeed every time.
In some well-known stories, the mistakes of the characters are important. In A Midsummer Night's Dream for example, Puck's confusion as to who the correct Athenian man was-- that is the one Puck was supposed to lay the love potion on the eyes on--plays an important part in the rest of the plot because it causes confusion and drama. Or, in the myth of Oedipus, Oedipus mistaking what the oracle told him about killing his father, and thinking the oracle meant his (adoptive) father is essential. He ends up running away only to kill his actual father and accidentally fulfilling the prophecy.
But then what about a character succeeding? Isn't that sometimes interesting to watch? Yes, but the success shouldn't happen every time. Your character is mimicking humanity, even if they are not human, and humanity isn't perfect at anything. Even in detective stories, like Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie's stories with Mrs. Marple or Poirot, the characters are not always right. And sometimes when they are right, right away, it is show their ability as a detective.
In BBC's Sherlock, this happens when John meets Sherlock. Sherlock is able to deduce what John is like what he has been through, and then he asks John whether he had been in "'Afghanistan or Iraq?'" (A Study in Pink) --
John is of course confused by this, because how does Sherlock know this information that John never once told him? Later, Sherlock explains how he knew the information, "when I met you for the first time yesterday, I said Afghanistan or Iraq? you looked surprised [...] I saw, your haircut, the way you hold yourself says military, the conversation as you enter the room [...] you said trained at Bart's, so army doctor, obvious, [...] wounded in action, suntan, Afghanistan, Iraq" He doesn't simply know the information, he figured it out through deduction. However, he got one piece of information wrong, and he adds "and there's your brother, your phone's expensive email, enabled MP3 player, [...] you aren't going to waste money on this, it's a gift then" (The Study in Pink) he thought the phone was a gift given to John by his brother when in reality it was his sister.
The greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, like anyone else is able to make mistakes is able to be wrong even though his mind works faster than most people's. But, him being right (most of the time), is to show how skilled he is, and if he makes a mistake that doesn't make him less of a good character. In fact, it makes him more life-like.
Fixing Overly "Perfect" Characters
Sometimes an author writes an overpowered character because the author cannot fathom their character doing anything wrong. However, this can lead to a type of bad characterization. Everything (literately everything) the character does is golden and good--even if they commit murder or do something morally wrong. Not that every character is going to commit murder of course, that is not a given. But let your character make mistakes and let it be shown as bad, it makes for a more interesting character.
The Perfection is Merely an Illusion
One way to turn the problem on its head though, would be to create a character who appears to be perfect but under the surface isn't. Or have your character's story be told by an unreliable narrator. For now, we're going with "the perfection is merely an illusion" as a way to fix it.
(Image from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray#/media/File:Doriangray.jpg)
For the first approach, I am going to bring Dorian from The Picture of Dorian Gray into this. While Dorian is not perceived as being completely perfect by society, he does appear to be perfect in a sense: he never ages, and he is handsome. However, despite the fact that he seems perfect, he is not. He has a painting that absorbs all of his sin and all of his age. The painting itself is a conflict for Dorian, for when he commits murder, he doesn't want anyone to view the painting as evidence against him so **spoilers (highlight to view)**he destroys it and by destroying it kills himself too .**end spoilers** So, Dorian's perfection is merely an illusion that is hiding something much darker.
Now, when it comes to applying something like this to your character whether it be Fantasy, Contemporary, Horror or Historical, it is important to think about what flaws your character is hiding and why they are keeping up the illusion that they are perfect. If it's Contemporary and your character is in a high school, is it because they want to be popular? If so, are they successful in that endeavor, or do their flaws come creeping in? This same thought can be applied to any social situation where there are competitions about being popular and not just a high school.
If it is Fantasy, Science Fiction, or perhaps Historical, if your character has a background that is bad, perhaps they are a criminal of some kind or they possess magic (or technology) that is frowned upon in the society of your world. If so, then it would make sense for them to keep up a seemingly perfect presentation of themselves to the public even if they are doing something that may be questionable.
Of course, if it is Horror (or Gothic), you can go the route of them hiding a curse of some kind. Perhaps it is not the same curse as Dorian, but maybe they are a vampire or a werewolf, or have a long-running curse in their family that they cannot get away from.
Of course, these are just suggestions, and there are many ways to do this that I haven't mentioned.
The Unreliable Narrator
(Image from Wiki Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aubrey_Beardsley_-_Edgar_Poe_2.jpg)
Moving on to unreliability: what if your character is supposed to be shown as good to the audience even if they committed something horrible like murder and and they don't feel any guilt whatsoever about it? There is of course a way to write a sympathetic murder or have your character do illegal/immoral things in a sympathetic way, but since we're going off the case where they feel no guilt of having done these deeds, we're going to unreliability for now.
One good example of an unreliable narrator is the narrator in the Tell-Tale Heart. The narrator tells the audience about his objective behind murdering the old man, that "[o]bject there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye!" (Poe 1). The narrator wants us to known that he loves the old man, so therefore his plotting to murder and murdering of the old man was justified. However, we as an audience know better and know there is something off about the narrator, from the way in which he speaks the opening lines: "True! — nervous — very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am;" (Poe 1). And also we know that his unreliable from his insistence that he is not mad at all, and telling us (the audience) that he is more clever than a mad man when it comes to murdering the old man.
So when presenting a character who is viewed as good by themselves even though they committed horrible deeds whatever they may be, think about how they will be unreliable about it. Do they think that it is good, even heroic that they did this? Do they do it for (unsympathetic) reasons such as that it was easy for them or because they wanted to? If it is told in first person, do they lie to the audience about what they have done or tell them and expect the audience to sympathize and agree with them? Once you have that figured out, you can figure out how to portray your unreliable narrator in your short story or novel.
The Sympathetic Approach
(Image from Wiki Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Play_Scene_in_Hamlet.jpg)
And the final way to do it, is to make your character's actions sympathetic. Don't change that it happened, but change the way in which it happened. Returning to the example that I've been using, where a character has killed someone, a sympathetic approach would show that perhaps it was because they were forced to, did it in self defense, or had to make a hard choice and the only "good" option was killing someone.
After you change the way in which the deed was done, you also then have to make the character feel guilty in some way, even if they do not express it outwardly. Do they have nightmares? Or constant thoughts about what they have done? If their guilt is expressed outwardly, do they try to fight against what they have done, for example by helping the family of the person they murdered?
Also, think about why they had to do this. Was it for revenge? Do they want to kill someone who had hurt them, but then end up hurting themselves by killing them? Was it because they were forced into it? Are they a gladiator who was forced into doing it, and have to kill people in order to survive but feel guilty about it and want to escape? Or, is it something else?
Either way, if your character kills someone, in order for them to be sympathetic their first reaction shouldn't be "oh cool!" or "that was so good of me." There should instead be a feeling of dread: "oh no" and "what have I done?" If your character's first reaction is a problem, either change your character to be unreliable, or change the reaction completely. This will help the audience sympathize or just want to watch your character from afar.
Here are some things to think about...
1. If your character is skilled in more than one ability, make a list with #1 being something that comes easy to them and the largest number being the thing they have to work the hardest on.
2. If something comes easy to your character, how do they feel about losing or being wrong when it comes to that ability? Do they make a fuss about it or are they all right with it?
3. If they make a fuss about it, how do your other characters feel about it? Are they less likely to want to be around your character or do they compete against your character for this reason?
4. If your character doesn't make a fuss, how do they feel about teaching others about their abilities? Or helping others learn to hone their own skills? Would they be a good mentor?
5. How does your character view themselves? Do they think they are the hero? If so, do you agree with them? Or are they being unreliable?
6. What is the most selfless act your character has done? And what is the most selfish act they have done?
7. What are the most positive attributes of your character and what are the most negative ones?
8. Regarding the most selfless act, would your character selfless if they got nothing (but perhaps a smile, a hug, nothing substantial that is) in return?
9. Regarding the most selfish act, what did your character do? Was it illegal (stealing, murder, etc.)? Or was it simply mean or hurtful to someone else? How guilty about this do they feel?
10. If your character had a painting of themselves that took every selfish action and negative action they have done and presented it in the painting, what would the painting show? (Write or draw this).
11. In the reverse (once you've figured out what the first painting looks like) if your character had a painting of themselves that took every selfless act and positive action and presented it in the painting, what would the painting show? (Write or draw this).
12. If your character turns out to be told by an unreliable narrator, is your story told in the first, third or second person? If it is told in the third, do the audience and the other characters know this character is unreliable? If it is told in the first, how do you present the unreliability of your character? Do they speak in a way that comes off as being unusual (ex. in broken sentences)? Do they say something that alerts the audience that they are untrustworthy?
13. What is one part of your character's ability that they are the most good at it, whatever it may be that they still need to work on? And how do they go about working on that?
14. Suppose your character enters a competition related to their strongest ability, and they end up losing. Do they try to do anything to change the results? Do they feel it is unfair? Attack the winner? Or do they congratulate the winner of the competition and act like a good sport.
15. If you're taking the sympathetic approach, how do the other characters feel about them? Do they still trust them (even with what they did)? Does your character feel hurt by this?
16. How kind is your character to their friends (if they have any)? Do they push them around? Or are they generally nice to them?
17. What is one skill your character wants to learn and hasn't yet for whatever reason? Why haven't they tried to learn it yet?
18. What is one time within your story where your character fails? How important is their failure to the story as a whole?
19. What is one time within your story where your character succeeds? How important is their success to the story as a whole?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are your own approaches with dealing with overpowered characters?
I thought I would share some drawings that I drew recently:
Here is a portrait of my character, Elm. I decided it would be neat to have her wear jewelry, though she usually wears only a few pieces of jewelry if she wears any. I imagine she would dress up like this for a concert or a performance.
I drew this on paper originally and then digitized it.
This is a portrait of my character, Oak. I like how her expression turned out in the end.
Here is a drawing of the Greek goddess, Artemis. This is concept art for a short film I am working on.
I drew this for a prompt (I did other prompts from this series too) which was to draw your character(s) at Hogwarts. For Elm, I decided that Hufflepuff best suited her in terms of houses, and I enjoyed trying to make her look younger in terms of age. Though this wasn't a prompt from the list, I may end up drawing some of my characters in a similar fashion, but with Camp Half Blood instead of Hogwarts next.
Finally, here is a drawing of Lady Annabelle in the 3D Disney animation style. I did this because I thought it would be interesting to see how it would turn out, and I like the end result.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which drawing is your favorite? Have you read Jane Eyre? If not, do you want to?
