Should characters be robots?

I recently joined a critique group over on Dragonmount and someone there started a rather interesting discussion there today regarding a blog post by Robert J. Sawyer who points out on his blog:

Psst! Wanna hear a secret? The people in most stories aren’t really humans — they’re robots!
Real people are quite accidental, the result of a random jumbling of genes and a chaotic life. But story people are made to order to do a specific job. In other words, robots!

and

And, of course, that means that you shouldn’t start with a character and then go looking about for a story; it’s a lot easier to do it the other way around. First, come up with your premise (for instance, “I want to write about a telepathic alien who can read subconscious instead of conscious thoughts”). Then you ask yourself who could most clearly dramatize the issues arising from that premise (”There’s this guy, see, who’s been suppressing terrible memories of the suicide of his wife”).

After that, head for your keyboard and build the character to your specifications, for that one specific job. (In this case, the story has already been done brilliantly; it’s Solaris by Stanislaw Lem.) Of course, you have to add subtleties and quirks to give your character depth, but if you do it right, only you will ever know that underneath the real-looking skin, your hero is actually a made-to-measure robot . . .

I guess I partly agree. Of course your character has a certain function, a specific ‘job’ as you put it. After all that’s what prompts character action and interaction.
But then again I couldn’t imagine creating a character just for the sake of their function. When I’m creating a character - or when they spontaneously pop up in my head waving and screaming PICK ME! - I’m thinking of a couple of things:

- yes, what’s the characters’ function, what do they do in the plot and how do they influence the story as a whole?
- what is their background/personality/motivation? In my experience thinking about those three can either result in something that perfectly fit into your already existing plotline or it can create something new. It can result in a new subplot or even in the general plot taking a completely new direction. This is the point where I’m not thinking about shaping my character to fit into the pre-existing story, but where I’m pretty much doing the exact opposite of what Sawyer suggests.

So with that said, I only about halfway agree with that approach. Sure, you have to model some characters to fit into your plot, but there are just as many occasions when it happens exactly the other way ’round and a character and their action or motivation lead your plot into a completely different direction.

Then again it also depends on what kind of writer you are. I suppose Robert J. Sawyer’s suggestion works very well if you are already totally set on what you want to happen in your story. If you already know exactly what your protagonist(s) and your antagonist(s) etc are going to do, then you just need to fill in placeholders so to say.

Maybe it’s because I’m not that kind of writer and usually start out knowing jack-shit about where my story is going in the end, but I hold it more with Nathan Bransford who recently pointed out in his blog  that character and plot are pretty much inseparable. It’s a little simplified, but IMO you can’t really have a detailed plot without knowing who your characters are and the other way ’round, you can’t have intriguing characters without them having a background, a personality and a motivation that drive the plot that unfolds around them.

Textbook shopping…

Wow I just spent almost 270 bucks on textbooks for me and Stephen…*gasp!* Well at least that will cover both of us, even though I don’t know what I’ll need for my biological anthropology class. That’s with all books being used by the way (yay for used books!). But man…uni-life is expensive :S

Paul Kearney - The Mark of Ran

In this gritty fantasy swashbuckler from Kearney (Hawkwood’s Voyage), the first in a new series, the inhabitants of Umer, a world forsaken by its creator, live passionately, with no hope of life after death. Legends speak of an elder race, the Weren, whose blood lives on in the mutated Urmen, “shattered travesties of humanity,” and in young Rol Cortishane, raised on stories of those ancient days by his grandfather Ardisan. When an angry mob turns on the old man, accusing him of witchcraft, Ardisan urges Rol to sail to the city of Gascar to seek the mysterious Michal Psellos. In Gascar, Rol learns about his Weren heritage, gains a magic scimitar and falls desperately in love with Rowen, an assassin trained by Psellos.

That was a really fast read Yes, with merely 303 pages, Paul Kearney’s The Mark of Ran really doesn’t range among my standard 500+ page books, but honestly true art lies in brevity sometimes.

For some weird reason this book somehow felt like a crossover of The Lies of Locke Lamora meets Pirates of the Carribean, but Kearney’s vivid characters and often lyrical prose make the book much more than a mere blend. I really did enjoy the darkness and utter hopelessness of the world created here - if you’re looking for a romanticized portrait of a pirate’s life, go look elsewhere.

The Mark of Ran is definitely one of those ‘first books’ as it is a mere introduction to the story, setting the foundations for characters in a world that waits to be explored further in upcoming installments. I’m glad that I picked up its sequel This Forsaken Earth right away so I can go on reading, even though - for whatever reason - Bantam Spectra dropped the series after Kearney was just done writing the third book… *gasp!* So yes, this is an unfinished series so far, but the third book is written and will be published by Solaris as soon as Spectra gives up the publishing rights. And thus there’s hope that this happens soon, because I definitely want to read more of Kearney’s awesome prose and characters

If you’re looking for a fast joyride of awesomeness of a read, go and check it out

Moving woes

Okay, so besides reading, finishing a huge 30×40″ painting of Stephen’s and mine WoW characters and wallowing in procrastination as far as rewriting Shadows is concerned - what did I do this weekend? Well given that in all likelihood we’ll be moving around August 8th and 9th, I’ve been contemplating packing. Sadly enough, after filling four boxes with books, I had to realize that a) I don’t have enough boxes and b) I apparently do have to concede that I do have too many books (though I’m still on denial here). Four boxes don’t even hold one fourth of my little library so I’ll have to go and beg my sister in law for more of her Avon boxes get some more boxes. Might even end up buying some, because my in laws’ moving boxes got peed on by  Angel one of their more vicious kitties.

Did I mention that it was probably the same mean-hearted cat that saw it fit to pee on my brush set whereupon I had to throw away most of them along with my palette? No, Nym’s not very happy about that and I’ll probably make another trip to Hobby Lobby tonight to get me some new brushes, because even though the huge painting is finished mostly to my satisfaction, I already have a handful of other ideas whirling about in my head.

Did I mention how long oil needs to dry and that I’m really glad that most of my thirteen -yes, it’s that many by now- paintings are already dry? Moving those, but the 30×40″ one in particular (since it’s anything BUT dry) will be a bitch.

It would have been the reasonable way to wait to paint it until after we moved, but noooo since when am I among the reasonable people? No, I had to get this out of my head and on the canvas, because I already picked the perfect place for it to go in the new apartment. How sad is that?

And yes I’m OCD, so what?

Carol Berg - Rai Kirah trilogy

Seyonne was not always a slave. Once a Warden against demons, he is enslaved after the conquest of his homeland and eventually sold to Aleksander, the Derzhi prince who will turn out to be much more than his outward haughtiness and temper tantrums (which are in fact quite amusing :p). All in all this is more or less an adaption of Alexander the Great, mixed with some interesting magic and like I said in a post before; this time he’s not gay (though he and Seyonne might have made a funny pair :p ) but possessed by a demon. I really need to read David Gemmell’s Lion of Macedon and Dark Prince soon to compare the two.

As for Carol Berg’s books, they’re a good, entertaining read, even though her characters undergo occassional Mary Sue moments, but then again I enjoyed Seyonne and ‘Zander’s story even though Seyonne’s people are horrendously illogical and religious fanatics to boot - which again was rather amusing.

The writing and plot certainly has its flaws, especially in regards to some things merely being hinted when Berg could have followed through with the story in a little more direct way. That and the fact that sometimes solutions seem to fall from the sky itself are the books’ greatest flaws.

I guess I’m sort of spoiled by Abercrombie, Monette and their likes, but I personally prefer a little bit of a bolder writing style. That said, I still enjoyed the story, but book three was definitely the best of the trilogy. Given that Transformation was her debut novel, I daresay Carol Berg has found her pace and style in the third installment of the Rai Kirah trilogy that surpasses the previous two not only as far as the plot and characters are concerned, but she also manages to bring the trilogy to an altogether satisfying ending. I’d have done some things differently, but then again, hey it’s not  my book, is it?

I might check out her duology (Flesh and Spirit, Breath and Bone) at some time, but for now I’m working on plowing further through my TBR pile. Yay for progress

Can you see a theme there?

Okay, so I’ve read Carol Berg’s Transformation and picked up David Gemmell’s Lion of Macedon and Dark Prince a little while ago. I haven’t read the Gemmell books yet, but both him and Carol Berg have Alexander the Great show up and in both books he’s possessed by a demon (at least that’s how much I can conclude from the synopsis on Gemmell). Maybe that’s just me but it sort of amuses me, because in fiction or in the dreadful movie with Colin Farrell back in 2004, Alexander is usually portrayed as the gay emperor. Now we have the fantasy equivalent of Alexander the demon-possessed emperor?

And no, sadly enough he’s not gay in either of the books. Too bad really, but maybe that’s just me thinking he and Seyonne should get it together in Carol Berg’s books (and frankly Seyonne’s wife is a bitch anyway, whereas ‘Zander is kinda cute :p )

Anyway, I guess I’ll make it my personal little ex-Latin-student pet project to compare the Gemmell books with Carol Berg’s stuff to see what they’re doing with the demon-theme. Gemmell’s interpretation of Aristotle as wizard guiding Parmenion makes me smile just thinking of it, by the way.

I’ll check them out and let you know in a post to come.

Dear Gods, my German sucks…

Just a random aside, but you really don’t want to know how long it just took me to write up a rather lengthy - and appallingly spelled - email to a bunch of friends from Germany. It’s embarrassing really

Ouch.

Slow progress

As far as rewriting goes, I’ve really been slacking lately, but now I’m making progress again - if slowly. I started the rewrite of Three the other day, realizing that most of what I’ve written so far as well as what’s still to come, are basically entirely new chapters. Sure, I’m working with scenes and ideas from the first draft, but as far as the first half of that is concerned, I’m doing a complete rollover, especially since I added Damian as a second main character.

So far, I’ve really been enjoying it though, because I’ve had the opportunity to add an entire new plotline to the main story, opening new ways to work with the overall plot, filling some holes, dropping more hints etc. Yay for the second draft so far, even though there are still parts which I’m not absolutely happy with, but at least it’s readable now and I’m comfortable having other people read it and give me feedback.

As far as my overall writing goes, I can safely say that I’m writing in spurts. After finishing the first draft, writing almost 30,000 words in about two weeks, I just needed some time to recuperate and get my thoughts in line for the editing process. That and writing down more and more ideas for book 2, Clairvoyance have kept me busy, but I also have been reading tons.

Somehow I’m going through books like candy lately, reading 4-5 books a week and finally making good progress on my to be read pile, while constantly adding more to it (what can I say? I’m a hopeless case :p ) The more I’m reading and writing, the more critical I tend to get though. Honestly, it’s not a bad thing. Lately I tend to focus much more on the style, prose, structure and general logic and motifs that authors use and even though it inspires the occasional rant, I feel that it helps me as a writer to focus on my own style, trying to avoid making the same mistakes etc.

It really made me laugh when someone at my writing group said in reference to plagiarism that he just doesn’t read other authors’ fiction. I dearly hope he was merely joking, because honestly, I couldn’t imagine myself being a writers, much less a good one, without reading much and extensively. I mean, wouldn’t that be the ultimate paradox? How could you be a writer without being a reader? Doesn’t make sense to me.

LUW

So I’ve been attending a local writing chapter/writing group that meets once a month at the local Barnes&Noble for a couple of months now and decided to officially join the League of Utah Writers (LUW). Luckily there are a bunch of writers around here who are interested in science fiction and fantasy and I’m looking forward to going to their annual Roundup writing conference in Ogden this September.

The membership is $24 a year and it’s a non-profit organization offering lots of tips, help and networking, let alone conferences for writers of all genres and I definitely want to do more in that area as I still haven’t been to any writers’ conferences yet.

Let’s see how that one’s going, shall we?

Another little pet project that I have in mind is a SFF writing/critique group specifically focusing on science fiction and fantasy. As of yet I haven’t seen a local group in that field yet, so I might see if something comes up once I start with university. If not, maybe I get some friends to start one with me

Joe Abercrombie - Last Argument of Kings

Alright, so everything is going to shit. Excuse my French, but that pretty much puts the synopsis of Joe Abercrombie’s Last Argument of Kings in a nutshell.

Final book of the First Law trilogy, Midderland is at war with the Northmen and the Gurkish, Glokta, Jezal and Logen are right in the middle of it. I’m pointedly leaving out any further plot summary here, because in the end it wouldn’t do anything but spoil it.

Say one thing about Last Argument of Kings, say that it’s a damn good ending for a damn good trilogy. Honestly, I second what everyone else told me by saying Gods, what a depressing ending. But still, it’s awesome! I don’t think I’ve read anything in a while whose ending was in any way comparable to what we get in Last Argument of Kings. In the end, Joe proves to be absolutely ruthless with his characters, but honestly, what do we expect? After all The First Law trilogy has been a rather unusual fantasy series altogether, but the ending tops what we’ve seen before. I don’t think I exaggerate when I’m saying that book three is definitely the best of the trilogy and more than delivers.

Oh and one more piece of advice, you might not want to read this book in a place where you have to be quiet. It’s one of those books that make you laugh and giggle rather hysterically

Awesome work