I promise to get back to the real blogging next week, but thanks to The Great Boston Flu of 2009, I'm still digging out from under a pile of manuscripts and e-mails that demand immediate attention - or at least demand attention before I go ice skating on Saturday and more than likely break both my legs.
So! In the meantime, Go Read This! over on Nathan Brandsford's blog.
An excerpt:
"Now, redeemability is a fickle beast. If a character's redeemability meter dips below a certain base line, that character will "lose" the reader. We've all read moments where this happened: a character did something so horrible and shocking and irredeemable that there was no going back. We're officially done with that person. This may or may not be accompanied by flinging a book against the wall.
The redeemability meter often dips below zero when a character does something that's wrong and there is not sufficient explanation for their actions."
The redeemability meter often dips below zero when a character does something that's wrong and there is not sufficient explanation for their actions."
As someone who has flung MANY books against the wall, I can tell you - Nathan's whole post is brilliant and essential information for any writer who has tried to create a less-than-perfect character - i.e., a human one. Go read it!
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