Victoria Island

im writing a story now about a girl who has had a touygh life - she has done it all (drugs, alcholol, corruption, prison, rehab etc)

she is now turned around and on the straight and narrow. she is going to do something that most people would concider bad but for a very good reason.

do you think people can like the character even though she is going to do something bad. (not murder or anytjing like that)

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In the battle between handbag strap and doorhandle, far better knacker your handbag than let the doorhandle feel its won ~ Kate Long - The bad mothers handbook

Sequestra

If there is enough question in her character to suggest she had trouble deciding to do this bad thing and bring her character depth by explaining the anguish of choosing a bad thing for a good reason then I think it can definately bring you further into a character and that would be followed by understanding which brings the rest...

My opinion, in a nutshell

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Nothing to do when you're locked in a vacancy.

StrangeQuark

Sequestra has a good point. Having your character straight is weaker than having a character who's TRYING to be straight-- Trying with all that she has left within her. If there's a sense of struggle, then her good deeds will mean more (progress toward her ideal) and her bad deeds (no matter how well-intentioned) will clash with that progress yet lead her closer to the goal. That conflict, struggle, and ultimate triumph is much more powerful than simply 'used to be bad, but now she's good.'

-SQ

Victoria Island

not prostitution. its a different type of crimal offence that she commits.

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In the battle between handbag strap and doorhandle, far better knacker your handbag than let the doorhandle feel its won ~ Kate Long - The bad mothers handbook

Viqto

I would go even further than what was said before me. People don't even have to like the character as long as they are hooked.

Granted this example is not in books but still, "The average Howard Stern fan listens for an hour and a half, the average Howard Stern hater listens for 2 and a half hours! Both reasoned this as they wanted to see what he'd say next."

Little harder to do in a book, but still....

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"A quill won't dip itself."

~Mr. Searle, my English teacher from High School

Victoria Island

its not a 'robin hood' type of crime. its more of a taking matters, and the law, into your own hands kinda thing..... its really not as bad as it sounds... god written down it sounds like a very bad idea but its okay actually. she actually does a few things in the story, theres still a little bit of the bad girl in her sothat she can get what she wants.

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In the battle between handbag strap and doorhandle, far better knacker your handbag than let the doorhandle feel its won ~ Kate Long - The bad mothers handbook

Victoria Island

a little bit of everything...

blackmail (of a sort)
corruption
Getting involved with a drug ring
Robbery
Kidnapping
Lying to police...

all in first stages right now - thats why i kinda go around it cos im ot 100% how to explain it. promise its not just to annoy you or anything lol.

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In the battle between handbag strap and doorhandle, far better knacker your handbag than let the doorhandle feel its won ~ Kate Long - The bad mothers handbook

Victoria Island

its not just 1 chapter. the drugs bt itsnt that bad and the kidnapping bit is...well... justified?

hehe...

well may not be your cup of tea but it might suit come people.

amybe... or maybe not i dont know really. i know i like it and if i like it then at least one other person in the world must too.

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In the battle between handbag strap and doorhandle, far better knacker your handbag than let the doorhandle feel its won ~ Kate Long - The bad mothers handbook

Victoria Island

its complicated kidnapping... its not steight forward kidnapping in the horrid sence. ill have to post it when i write it i guess for you to understand.

i accept your opinion - im not rubbishing it or anything. i dont like kidnapping but this kidnapping in my head is different and the drugs part is... weell how do i put it... neccisary to get information to reveal a missing link.

opinion varies from person to person. for example (i know its a film but the same applies) i hate kill bill - think its vile - but there are others who think its excellent.

Have you ever read 'Fear itself'? its a good book about a serial killer and i adore it but some may hate it.

so opinion is opinion.

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In the battle between handbag strap and doorhandle, far better knacker your handbag than let the doorhandle feel its won ~ Kate Long - The bad mothers handbook

Victoria Island

the things is... im all for writing about bad apples... bnut the point of the story is that she isnt bad at all.

ui have written many a story about nasty people, murderous people, evil pple...

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In the battle between handbag strap and doorhandle, far better knacker your handbag than let the doorhandle feel its won ~ Kate Long - The bad mothers handbook

Viqto

Well you're going to have to get over the whole "she's really actually good" clause because lying to people and kidnapping (no matter the reason) is a crime.

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"A quill won't dip itself."

~Mr. Searle, my English teacher from High School

StrangeQuark

Perhaps "She's trying to be good," would sum it up best.

-or-

"She wants to be good."

-SQ

Victoria Island

yeah... quite a hurdle lol . hehe.

well she definately has a dark side... maybe ill change my mind but i dunno... lets just see how it flows.

Everyone likes robin hood and what he did was illegal too lol.

ill think it over. there are some very misleading charicters in it. pple you think are bad who are good and pple who look good who are bad.

but ibn real lfie i s'pose you dont get good and bad labels do you? you are who you are.

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In the battle between handbag strap and doorhandle, far better knacker your handbag than let the doorhandle feel its won ~ Kate Long - The bad mothers handbook

Dan101

There is always someone who will connect with your main character, no matter what he/she does. Some people prefer the badguys to the goodies, and some people prefer the character you described over a goody goody. I wouldnt worry about it.

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Aimless

That depends on whether you see 'lawful' as synonymous with 'good'. I don't pretend to think that the world is as simple as that.

Anyone here watched the original series of '24'? The main character kidnaps a wealthy businessman as he believes him to be connected with the kidnapping of his wife and daughter. I'd imagine that most viewers would see this action as justified as they know what he's been through, are aware of his situation. Given his position, could he really have done anything else?

Any position can be argued, Victoria, and if you think you can justify your character's actions then many readers will come around to her way of thinking. Some people in this thread have stated that they couldn't sympathise with anyone has been involved with drugs, etcetera, and whilst I'm not calling them liars, it is easy to say such things when you know nothing of the person you are judging — I confess that I sometimes label people as chavs, but I don't really mean it; I know nothing about them, about what they've been through, and until I do I don't intend to mark them down as a lost cause.

In the end, it comes down to the reader's temperament. As you can see, I try (but don't always succeed) at being an empathic person, and as such I'm ready to accept pretty much any character's action just so long as I see it as justified. But then what I see as justification others may see as nothing more than an excuse.

I suppose the best thing to do is write for yourself; do you find your character likeable? If you write the book you'd like to read it will most likely come out best, and I'm sure there will be enough like-minded people around to enjoy it. I don't mean this as an unsavoury comparison, but even Hitler's Mein Kampf sold*.

*Before anyone says anything, I'm not talking about the millions of copies sold due to it becoming required reading (well, owning) within Nazi Germany. My point is simply that you could be the biggest weirdo in the world and still find kinship if you look hard enough — the internet is as good a proof as this as any.

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In the name of Harman.