Opinions requested

[fitzypoop]

Hey all,

A couple of years ago I wrote a book that pretty much sucked and was rejected by every publisher I sent it to.  Now I'm going through and pretty much re-writing the whole thing but there are aspects of it that I am definitely changing from the original and I'd like to get the opinion of some people here about whether or not it's a good idea or if I should just write and see where it takes me.

My main character is a wizard who is feared and somewhat despised by other wizards but not because of anything he did.  His father was a respected wizard in their world and he fell in love with a woman who was of a species that could willingly transform into a creature just like a werewolf (I'm using generic terms for now, I haven't come up with a species name for them yet or any other details).  She gave birth to my main character and he inherited his father's magical ability and his mother's shapechanging powers, except his is more like the lycanthropic full moon curse that is normally associated with werewolves.

My question, and feel free to be honest with this, is whether or not you (or people in general) might like to see a character like this, should I just write it and see where it takes me, or should I just drop the idea entirely and try something else?

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[Darwinist]

not my cup of tea, but I'm not an avid reader myself, and I loathe werewolf stories. Fool Moon being the exception, Jim.

Still, there's a market for anything out there, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Personally, it sounds like you're trying to make the backstory of the character a bit too complex. A little of one, a little of another. It's a fresh angle, which is nice though. Maybe punch up the language a bit in your synopsis because it's way too much geekspeak for me. Wizards. Lycanthropes. Curses. The. Its big scary geeky words, they frighten me.

Again, there is probably a market for this, but on a mass media front of a general audience - just generalize it. Use plainer terms and simplify how you're explaining the plot and it will come off much better.

[seekmore]

You used a lot of words to say "Everyone hates my werewolf-wizard not for who he is, but what he is."

And that's not really a lot to go on for determining whether a character is interesting enough to read about, in my opinion.

In my experience, story and character execution is the determining factor, rather than originality of premise.

What is you character doing? How does he act and react? What does he face beyond simple prejudice?

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

A couple of years ago I wrote a book that pretty much sucked and was rejected by every publisher I sent it to.  Now I'm going through and pretty much re-writing the whole thing but there are aspects of it that I am definitely changing from the original and I'd like to get the opinion of some people here about whether or not it's a good idea or if I should just write and see where it takes me.

My main character is a wizard who is feared and somewhat despised by other wizards but not because of anything he did.  His father was a respected wizard in their world and he fell in love with a woman who was of a species that could willingly transform into a creature just like a werewolf (I'm using generic terms for now, I haven't come up with a species name for them yet or any other details).  She gave birth to my main character and he inherited his father's magical ability and his mother's shapechanging powers, except his is more like the lycanthropic full moon curse that is normally associated with werewolves.

My question, and feel free to be honest with this, is whether or not you (or people in general) might like to see a character like this, should I just write it and see where it takes me, or should I just drop the idea entirely and try something else?

Nothing about the character either leaps out saying yes or leaps out saying no to me. 

The thing that would worry me as a way people writing a character with that sort of bad past piled up and that sort of powers would be likely to fail - presuming from what is implicit in what you have here that he has quite a bit more power than most folks in that world, and therefore isn't going to get that much direct physical challenge - would be for all the fear and despising to turn him into a hopeless angstmuffin who spends all his time wailing and whining about nobody liking him.

[Aludra]

The Anita Blake series left a bad taste in my mouth for magical hybrids.  I'd still be willing to give it a chance given a little more plot hints and humor previews.

[meg_evonne]

I'm with Seekmore.  You've got a character--(maybe/maybe not as Neurovore posted).  The question isn't, 'is he interesting?', but whether his story is interesting.

I fear there isn't any character type that is especially marketable--only over done characters, but it is always the story, the hook seems to be what an agent is looking for. 

In your posting I didn't get a 'hook' sentence.  I'm not sure, if you had one--good or bad that you should post it.  This is going to have to be your call.  Maybe the fact that you are questioning his strength in your post, is your self-conscious telling you to not do it?

I've held the opinion that a good character grabs you by the gut and won't let you go--ever.  If he isn't doing that, maybe he needs to be left in the drawer until something else gels in his story or his character to re-hook your interest.  Remember you'll be living with this guy for a long time. 

One exercise that might be revealing is to take your character and dump him in an unlikely setting for a short story.  Do you still find him intriguing or is he boring the cr** out of you?  I think finding a good character is harder than finding a good soulmate--and maybe, they are one in the same in the long run.  LOL 

 

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

In your posting I didn't get a 'hook' sentence.  I'm not sure, if you had one--good or bad that you should post it.  This is going to have to be your call.  Maybe the fact that you are questioning his strength in your post, is your self-conscious telling you to not do it?

Maybe it's not a story that needs a hook. Maybe it's a story that needs a net.

Grabbing you with the first line is one way to make a book work. A first line that makes you want the seccond line, and a first page that makes you want the second page, and a first chapter that makes you want the second chapter, so you end up awake all night thinking you'll put it down in five pages' time, is also a valid way for a book to work.

[BobForPresident]

Maybe it's not a story that needs a hook. Maybe it's a story that needs a net.

Grabbing you with the first line is one way to make a book work. A first line that makes you want the seccond line, and a first page that makes you want the second page, and a first chapter that makes you want the second chapter, so you end up awake all night thinking you'll put it down in five pages' time, is also a valid way for a book to work.

I disagree. I think you're in the right part of the woods. Ya just need a flashlight.

For me the fun of the Dresden Files was never the magical goo-gaws or the political stuff (though that definitely added to the flavor), but it's Dresden himself that keeps me reading. He can't keep a woman. He lives in a bachelor pad with a dog and a cat. He rarely shaves. He loves Burger King. Sometimes he defaults on his rent. He's a flesh and blood human being with soooo much we can all relate to.

These traits are what make him accessible, and that's extremely vital in the fantasy genre. Reason being, I can't relate much to a guy who can throw fireballs and lightning around unless when he turns off the lights at night he's a bit like me. So my suggestion is tweak the character (though I suspect you've already given him some interesting character traits and just didn't mention them above) so that he's more accessible. Does he smoke (pipes, cigarettes, marijuana or your world's equivalent)? Does he have an old wound that acts up from time to time? Does he have family beyond those mentioned in the core of the story?

These things seem just like cinematic, surface stuff, but they can really pull your story along.

[KINCAID ex cursori]

You might do well to go off the beaten path and just name the species, i dont know, anything, but stay away from the werewolf schtick.
A humble suggestion- if you intend to go with the lycanthropic stuff, then people will log it in with werewolves, unless you give a non wolflike explanation. All in all though, sounds like a good cast, if in need of a little refinement
KINCAID ex cursori

[belial.1980]

I think you should write it and go where it takes you. Maybe just write a short story and see if he comes to life on the page. I've found that helpful and have learned things about characters I wouldn't know otherwise.

As a personal thing I'm not big on werewolves or supernatural hyrbids. However there's always room for a new spin. From my experience, writers tend to give hyrbids the strengths of both species and none of the weaknesses so they can have some super bad@ss (and often angsty) character. I recommend taking a different route and marking the character less adept than either species, but more versatile since he's got the abilities of both.

IE, his senses aren't as strong as a normal werewolf and he couldn't go to to toe in a fight with one but he could summon magic to help. Likewise his magic might not be as strong as other wizards, but he's got his superhuman abilities to fall back on that give bring him up to par. That route that could provide interesting challenges. Who knows, maybe he chases some high-and-mighty-wizard lord's black cat familiar up a tree. That could always be fun. 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[meg_evonne]

I recommend taking a different route and marking the character less adept than either species, but more versatile since he's got the abilities of both.

This is really a neat idea belial. May I hope you are working on a character like this?  Or a villian--  My mind is popping with ideas.  Wile Coyote's determination and engineering skills genetically mixed with the Road Runner.  Only it comes out as unable to light a match and no speed--only an obnoxious 'beep beep' as protection.  maybe let some of the 'luck' of the road runner come through.  What fun to drop that character into a quagmire and see what happens. 

But, I think what belial mentioned is what agents are looking for, that twist from the norm, that strange sidestep that makes the reader go, "wow, never thought of that"   

Now, if only my mind worked like belial's did on all aspects of my writing...

I've heard more than one published author say, "You can't take your first, your second, or your third idea--but your 10th or 12th or 20th idea." 

[KINCAID ex cursori]

DITTO  belial & meg

[belial.1980]

Now, if only my mind worked like belial's did on all aspects of my writing...

Oh, trust me. You don't want that, heh heh. 

Haven't thought up a hybrid oddball yet, but it could be fun. I'll add it to my big ole stack of ideas. I totally agree on the progression of ideas you mentioned. I think as you practice writing (and reading critically) you get more ideas, better ideas, and you get better at developing them.

[thausgt]

Oh, trust me. You don't want that, heh heh. 

Haven't thought up a hybrid oddball yet, but it could be fun. I'll add it to my big ole stack of ideas. I totally agree on the progression of ideas you mentioned. I think as you practice writing (and reading critically) you get more ideas, better ideas, and you get better at developing them.

Right. If your writing style and psychology will allow it, you might even consider working with what Joss Whedon calls "the stuff behind the stuff".
What would a hybrid wizard-slash-shapeshifter, as a character, symbolize? Do his limitations symbolize anything?

Slightly less literary-critic questions: If he lives in a world that is hidden behind the mundane reality we all see outside our windows, what kind of life does he have in the non-supernatural world? If he has none, why not? If he lives in a completely different reality, what (if anything) links it to the aforementioned mundane world? Who are his friends? Why do they hang around with him? Who are his specific enemies (as opposed to cultural and ideological opposition to his existence)? Has he done anything to these specific enemies to earn the enmity? What can he do without his powers? Does he have any hobbies? What does he look like? What kind of clothes does he wear?

I'll freely admit to dropping the ball on those last two myself in a lot of my writing; my viewpoint characters forget to describe themselves but will build up very clear pictures of everyone else in the story...

[Paynesgrey]

Don't stress yourself trying to fit a character who has become square into a round story.  A number of authors I enjoy have ended up dropping their original protaganist and reserving him for a later different work, while cooking up a new character wo can work better with the story you're on.

Question or two.  Do you come up with the story arc, then build the charcter to fit the story, or do you build and develop the character (in concept at least) and then sculpt a story around the character You Want?