Characterization: You're Either Doing It Wrong Or You're Lazy. Or Both.

[redbrunja]

 So I'm reading Coin Locker Babies (which I'm enjoying, especially once the model with the pet alligator shows up and the main characters go to Tokyo)* and it clarified thoughts I've been having since I dropped The Life Of The World To Come. Now, one of the reasons I dropped The Life Of The World To Come was that Kage Baker has forgotten that Mendoza is supposed to be the main character of this series. The other, and the one that is relevant to this post, is that Baker decided that to understand Mendoza's love interest, we needed to spent 3/4 of the book watching him grow up.

WRONG.

If the reader needs to follow the character in question through his primary and secondary schooling with in order for the adult character to make sense, the author is failing. **

An author should be able to write a character  who we understand at any point in their life (with a few select flashbacks). Dragging us through their whole childhood is both lazy and a waste of the readers time.

On that subject, I am sick of the childhood that the readers are dragged painfully through being a young boy's experience with the British school system. Even if the world in question is the future or has magic I am still BORED OUT OF MY MIND.

*not a spoiler, all this happens in the first 60 pages and is on the flap copy.

**Note that this excludes series or books where growing and going through school is the basic fabric of the story, a la the Harry Potter series or Maggie Quinn, Girl vs Evil.

Comments

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

Word. Although I did think that the Mage Exiles did well with child!Cailet and teenage!Cailet and adult!Cailet, because they had a whole lot of other characters framing her development or pushing along the plot as key characters themselves, and it was never really about Cailet growing up so much as just Cailet growing.

And then there's following the children of the original main characters. I think that is always a mistake. Always. It's a rule. There are exceptions to prove the rule somewhere, I'm sure, but as far as I've seen it...always a mistake. The kids are annoying, watered-down, mixed-copies of their parents and lack all originality.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

and it was never really about Cailet growing up so much as just Cailet growing.

That right there is the key between 'wasting reader's time' and 'whole point of the novel.'

And what is Mage Exiles?

And then there's following the children of the original main characters. I think that is always a mistake. Always. It's a rule. There are exceptions to prove the rule somewhere, I'm sure, but as far as I've seen it...always a mistake.

I thought only fanfiction did this. *sigh* That said, when I read them as a young adult, I enjoyed the Jedi Academy series, which had the kids of Leia and Han, but I'm not sure how well they would hold up to adult eyes.

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

Mage Exiles is a book series (two right now, and possibly forever), by Melanie Rawn. Set in a matriarchal society and following three sisters: Glenin, Sarra, and Cailet, the last of the Ambrais. Ambrai the place was the center of art, culture, and magic. There are two opposing magic-using factions, the Malerissi, and the Mage Guardians. the Malerissi believe in the Great Loom, and their culture very strongly dictates the path of people's lives. Mage Guardians have a hierarchy that revolves around the Mage Captal, and seem to be kind of like magical knights. The Mage Guardians were wiped out when Auvry Feiran (The sisters' father) burned down Ambrai. First book is about a growing rebellion against covert Malerissi rule.

The book series are very richly detailed, with awesome worldbuilding, and a well-done matriarchy.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that does sound very interesting.

[enderxenocide.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so glad that you're enjoying it so far. And, honestly, don't worry if you decide halfway through it's not worth it. I will not at all be offended if you don't like the entire novel---it's gruesome, disturbing, wonderful, unsettling and thought provoking--but I did compare it in an essay to the End of Evangelion rather successfully. But I'm so glad that you like the model and her alligator. When I read this the first time I thought you would love her. If it's not quite your style, I might recommend you the 'other' Murakami---you know I am such a fan of Haruki Murakami and everything he does. He's still intense and frustrated by the Japanese ego and history, but not nearly as angry as Ryu is.

Miss you dear!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I am really enjoying Coin Locker Babies (partially BECAUSE it's not what I usually read) and I'm curious to see how the author spins out the rest of the story.

Interestingly enough, right after I made this post, I went to go put 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' on my amazon.com wishlist, and it took me five minutes searching that site before I was sure that THAT Murakami and the Murakami who wrote Coin Locker Babies was the same person.

I miss you back!

Also, what is a good email to reach you at? I seem to recall you having problems at one point with one of them.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Okay, first of all I deleted your comment because in giving me your email (thank you) you'd linked your real name with your lj name, and while not everyone is a paranoid as me... I'm going to be paranoid on my own lj for other people, just in case they're isn't enough paranoia in the world.

I remember you reading Glamorama and Coin Locker Babies during the hellish winter with your evil sensei.

feeling just fine with all of the disturbing images, violence, emotionally draining and exhausting scenes. And then found myself sobbing in the bathroom five minutes later.

Retroactive hugs!

Yeah, Haruki and Ryu have been considered 'eternal rivals', especially as they both deal extensively with Japan's unpleasant history, and post-modernism.

Do they have fight scenes interspliced between pages of flashbacks + homoerotic tension?

And please do tell me which of his fiction books you think I should start with.

I can't wait to hear what you think of the later Castle episodes.

...Those may be thoughts that take a long time to reach you. I am trying to finish up all the episodes I'm in the middle of (for like, six different series) and in general, am totally failing at tv watching and fanfic writing. I'm basically this cold, tired blob, all day long.