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Should I stop writing this character now?

doradora
edited January 2017 in Writing
One character in a story I've been working on for a while now, is starting to grate. I am wondering if this has happened to other writers and if so how did u cope with the situation?

All started well and continued in an entertaining manner so I have wrung quite a lot of mileage out of them so far.

Any suggestions?

Comments

  • heatherheather
    Kill him off??
  • boredrobotsboredrobots
    Depends why they're grating - an annoying character, or one who constantly throws the plot into chaos, can be extremely useful and "loved" by many.
  • CarolCarol
    Just tell them to go away, otherwise killing them off is final.
  • Tiny NellTiny Nell
    You could make something happen to him - not necessarily death, but something which would change his outlook and subsequent behaviour.
  • Mrs BearMrs Bear
    Sounds as thought the joke has worn thin with this character, Dora. If you're bored with them, you won't do them justice. Can you move on and come back to them, in which case you may find they're redundant anyway? Or do you need to go back and shrink their role in the story, if it's causing an imbalance? Perhaps it's time to take a step back and assess what their role really is.
  • Phots MollPhots Moll
    I'd send them away somewhere and see if you miss them.
  • KramerKramer
    Kill him off??
    Him? The character may be female. Or an animal. But, in all likelihood, you're probably right.

    :)
  • KramerKramer
    I'm hesitant to offer any advice as, hey, what do I know?

    Is this character integral to the continuing story and plot?
    Could he/she be "moved into the background" and not be an active character? More of a presence that affects how other characters react without being directly involved in the plot. (if that makes sense).
  • KramerKramer
    Another question….why does the character grate? Can he/she be amended in any way that allows them to continue in the story and be less grating?
  • PaigeElizabethTurnerPaigeElizabethTurner
    Dora. Why not have an impartial friend read a few pages (or chapters) for a 'second opinion'. As Mr Robots alluded to, the character might be very useful, and might be a good character for the story line. You might find that it is your own overexposure to the character that is giving you second thoughts.

  • C2C2
    Send it on an adventure, dora, it might be needed later on in the story.
  • DawnehDawneh
    I would go with the impartial view idea - you might have taken against a character others would find endearing... then again they might just deserve killing off!
  • LizyLizy
    Write down why you don't like them and see if you can change anything.
  • PaigeElizabethTurnerPaigeElizabethTurner
    Write down why you don't like them and see if you can change anything.
    Doesn't work, Lizy. Tried it with my ex!

    :))
  • LizyLizy
    =))
  • heatherheather
    Just as well I didn't try my suggestion with my ex!
  • LizyLizy
    Oh i dunno, it could be ok if you get away with it!
  • heatherheather
    :O
  • LizLiz
    She's in pain, heather. It makes you bloodthirsty.
  • doradora
    Thanks for all your comments.

    I am considering each and every one of them.

    Ta.
  • datco2014datco2014
    My latest project had a character that I intended to use as the hero and another as the villain but after developing them a little I ended up switching them around as I preferred the baddy as he had more redeeming features than the hero. So maybe think about using them elsewhere in the story or drop them for a later story.
  • JenJen
    I'm hesitant to offer any advice as, hey, what do I know?

    .
    I feel that way sometimes too but if you've finished a story and worked on stories you know how it works and a fresh idea is always welcome surely. My confidence with writing has improved and so has my confidence with giving people advice. But then I've read so many books on writing over the years I have a lot of 'theory' if not as much 'practice' as some. I;ve written many stories over the years I've just haven't finished many


  • PaigeElizabethTurnerPaigeElizabethTurner
    Jen, sometimes things just 'click'. Many of us would share stories of how, say five or six years ago, we wrote a piece that we thought was exceptional. We read it now and pick one hundred holes in it. We keep learning about the order of words, stylistic problems and idiosyncrasies (like when to use an en dash or em dash) and we keep improving our manner of developing characters and plot lines.
    It matters not that you've not finished many of your stories. You have built the foundation. One day you will read one and know immediately how it should end. Remember the saying you've surely read: If you don't write anything, you have nothing to edit. You have a treasure trove of work at your fingertips, that one day, will, with work, surely be publishable.
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