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If you recall a film you saw, a novel you read, which characters lurk on in your mind for longer? Which characters made you think more?The better ones or the more evil ones?
How come that according to a popular belief, evil characters in a play/movie are easier to master for the actor/actress?
If you gave your hand nand heart a try at writing a poem - what did you find easier to verbalize?
Your loss/pain/depression/anger OR faith/joy/love?
How's that?
We all yearn for harmony, peace and quiet situations, for being loved and giving love - aren't we all? The occassional spur of adrenalin is all right and is necessary, too - but if you look into your heart the desire is there for relaxation, calmness and love, again, the quiet love.
How come that positive feelings are so difficult to convey...?
Are they?
24 comments:
I think evil characters are rather human. I mean they are rather an everyday person so that's why they can be easier understood by the public. In the people there are the desire for money, power etc... and sometimes you have to do bad things to get them while a good character can resist these. I think it is easier to write something positive but it depends on the person.
I see what you mean.
It is easier for the good to be good/better if there's a counterpoint, and then there's the chance for the bad guy to improve and finally yes, there are so many bad guys out there...
a story without a bad character just would not seem normal.
Thank you, Ropi!
you're welcome.
You make a great point here. I do find it easier to write poetry with either sadness or anger in them. Not sure why. As for evil characters, I think we can allow them to be "out there" while our good characters in many ways have to be more realistic. Great food for thought, though.
Charles,
I'm glad you liked my thoughts. It has been one of my pet ideas for quite a while.
You're right, Szelsofa, and this is a very interesting observation. I find sadness easier to express, more appealing; when I'm happy, I just am - I might want to sing, or jump, or shout, but I don't necessarily need to write about it.
I think it's human nature. We are naturally curious, and other people's misfortunes interest us more that their happiness. Happiness is dull, trouble is exciting. But a well-written character, either in a movie or in a book, should not be unilateral because in all people (I hope) there are good things and there are bad things.
Very good food for thought. Thank you! :-)
In novels, the better ones stick with me.
Maybe because it is sometimes very hard to be brave and good.
I tend to write about the down and out, the forgotten elements of society, whether in poetry or fiction. Also in movies, I tend to remember such characters longer. The "there but for fortune go you and I" thingy.
Probably evil or sick characters are memorable just because of the shock value. There was a character in one of Tony Hillerman's Navajo police stories whose precise use of a knife was absolutely frightening. But Hillerman's Navajo cops--Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee--are more memorable just because of their personalities and the fact that they are series characters.
Someone once asked the question, "Why are there more sad love songs than happy ones?" And someone answered that when someone is happily in love, he or she has better things to do than write songs. That's part of it. And maybe it's easier to express sadness or anger than joy or contentment. " We all yearn for harmony, peace and quiet situations, for being loved and giving love - aren't we all?" That reminded me of one of the most beautiful poems about yearning for a distant love. Because I have to live apart from my wife (at least for the next few months), I can identify with its anonymous author (circa 1500):
O Western Wind, when wilt thou blow,
That the small rain down can rain?
Christ, that my love were in my arms,
And I in my bed again!
Vesper,
I would not say that happyness GENERALLY is dull - In some cases it is, but sometimes it is 'fulfilling' in a sense that you can not add anything, can not and do not wish to change the state of happyness.
It's the sad and evil thing that makes one act/think.
Well, those were my thoughts...
Bernita,
and you are right with that, too. Being good can be tough, with all those temptations around...
Billy,
it comforts us, doesn't it?
Steven,
I'm glad I struck a chord...that poem is lovely :)
no, the restless Emperor wasn't Nero.
Well, I was just guessing.
Was it Attila, then?
Restless Emperor= Hadrian
Atilla was a very bad guess and the history fan side of my character is really discontended with your reply because Atilla was not even an Emperor. Maybe sometime I will post one of my stories or essays then your writer side can be angry with me in return. :P
Why, Attila had the huns. Lots and lots of them and was powerful.
What makes someone an emperor?
I think it is hard to write about positive things and people because there is not much to them. The darker aspects of life have more meat to them and give us, as writers and readers, more to work with. When I was working in theatre, I preferred playing characters that were bad or mischievous. Good girls are boring!
I enjoy it when a character who seems to be good ends up to be bad somehow. The surprise of it gives me pleasure.
Emperor is a ruler who has power on more lands. Like the leader of the Holy Roman Empire was an Emperor because he used to control Switzerland, Austria and other territories.
Virginia Lee,
thanks for dropping by.
I also tend to think good girls are boring, but Hermione Granger is one exciting example to this rule :)
Ropi,
I tend to defend Attila, because he was our ancestor. Like a family guy. Bad, or good, he's still family :)
It is a legend that he was our ancestor. Huns has nothing to do with Hungarians according to present knowledge. By the way on the Hungarian post I am giving a chance to take revenge on me.
Disagree.
What is present knowledge? The Hungarian Academy of Sciences? Do you know how many of them are there due to their political stand?
What about all the foreign researches of centuries, who did NOT question whether the Huns and the Hungarians had any relation to each other?
It is a fact.
It's only that we, the Hungarians are not allowed to have the truth.
I'll be looking forward to reading your essay on your blog :)
I am not going to post them anymore.
Roopi,
Now, that is sad.
not for me:(
I remember a character from a book I read about 20 years ago although I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the book or the author.
All the way through the book the character was the classic hero and right at the end the twist was that his 'lost love' the one that haunted the heroine throughout the story turned out to be a MAN!
The idea had never even crossed my mind and I guess that is why that particular hero has never left my mind :)
Myladysa,
strange characters do occupy one's mind - that's part of the great advantages of reading!!
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