tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post1360547880534540728..comments2023-03-18T03:41:29.822-07:00Comments on Once Upon A Word: Character Derailment, or "Wait, what?"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16703677258513182786noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-14678112360074603162013-01-17T07:58:46.300-08:002013-01-17T07:58:46.300-08:00Gerald--Grace Kelly in High Noon came close to der...Gerald--Grace Kelly in High Noon came close to derailing her character by picking up that gun and killing one of the bad men our to get her husband. But no, we admired her--just like we admired Melanie in Gone With the Wind.<br />The only example that comes to mind is a recent release from one of my favorite authors--and one of the most successful NY pubbed authors--She began with a hero that was just absolutely crazy and wild and quirky--but we knew he wasn't really a bad guy. But toward the end of the book, the author had taken both the hero and heroine out of the wild scenario of the first half, and moved both into a really goofy situaion. Both characters changed and in doing so, became quite boring. I contacted her and said so...but she didn't answer my note. However, the book is making millions, so why should she care?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-70934222458101963542013-01-17T07:56:58.217-08:002013-01-17T07:56:58.217-08:00Gerald--Grace Kelly in High Noon came close to der...Gerald--Grace Kelly in High Noon came close to derailing her character by picking up that gun and killing one of the bad men our to get her husband. But no, we admired her--just like we admired Melanie in Gone With the Wind.<br />The only example that comes to mind is a recent release from one of my favorite authors--and one of the most successful NY pubbed authors--She began with a hero that was just absolutely crazy and wild and quirky--but we knew he wasn't really a bad guy. But toward the end of the book, the author had taken both the hero and heroine out of the wild scenario of the first half, and moved both into a really goofy situaion. Both characters changed and in doing so, became quite boring. I contacted her and said so...but she didn't answer my note. However, the book is making millions, so why should she care?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-58945892932336260022013-01-16T15:19:42.880-08:002013-01-16T15:19:42.880-08:00Thanks and it does make you wonder sometimes, does...Thanks and it does make you wonder sometimes, doesn't it? I think for writers, it's seeing the potential buried under the derailed story that upsets us the most. Not that its always fatal, or even something everyone agrees on. For instance, I have a low tolerance for stories where the plot is basically driven by "This smart character is going to suddenly act like he's an idiot every time the story requires something bad to happen." Gerald Costlowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09629993135051504254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-16012533264803975782013-01-16T14:08:29.960-08:002013-01-16T14:08:29.960-08:00I liked your examples. I read an American Revoluti...I liked your examples. I read an American Revolutionary story where the heroine betrayed her country for love of an English nobleman who promptly left her to return to England. A worthy young man loves her and wants to marry her (my hopes began to build that she would see what a fne man he was), but she turns her back on this love and, at the end of the book, she plots how she can go to England to pursue the man who left her. I felt like ripping the book apart abd burning it. I was surprised that her editor didn't catch that and ask for a rewrite.<br />Marvelous blog today.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-69957913235810491592013-01-15T17:42:32.675-08:002013-01-15T17:42:32.675-08:00Thanks for both of you, and I know when I'm re...Thanks for both of you, and I know when I'm reading a novel or watching a movie and this sort of thing happens, it jerks me right out of the story. If it's a series on television sometimes it's because we have new writers unfamiliar with the characters. With a movie, I think it's sometimes the fault of too many fingers on the script, where every producer and studio head and even director thinks he knows how to write a story. And yes, it's almost never a woman in those positions but that's a different rant. For books, it's sometimes caused by editing I suppose. It's just one of those mistakes that can happen. No book is perfect, after all. Gerald Costlowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09629993135051504254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-59733506986772844632013-01-15T17:09:56.853-08:002013-01-15T17:09:56.853-08:00Gerry, I loved your examples. I could see it happe...Gerry, I loved your examples. I could see it happening. I can think of one example that I use when I teach my classes. It's in Conagher--I think I told about this over at Celia's blog--but it's just so unbelievable that the "bad guy", Smoke Parnell, would just completely so such an about face in the middle of the story it jerked me out of it and made me ask, "Wait, what?"LOL Conagher catches up to him and passes out, falls off the horse, and Smoke Parnell, instead of killing him as he's vowed to do, tells one of the younger more inexperienced outlaws to take care of Conagher and if he can learn to be half the man Conagher is, he'll be "worth his own salt" or something like that. What a letdown! That truly was Character Derailment! LOL Great post--I enjoyed it.Cheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-48458245742386450332013-01-15T14:01:11.363-08:002013-01-15T14:01:11.363-08:00Great blog. No examples come to mind at the moment...Great blog. No examples come to mind at the moment but I certainly enjoyed yours. It was a very humorous read.Linda Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00749255692298669394noreply@blogger.com