Thread: Love the premise - hate the character!

I’m in the middle of writing a short story which has probably the best premise I’ve ever come up with, so I feel strongly that it needs to be told. Unfortunately, it’s written entirely from a single character’s perspective, and I’ve grown to really hate the guy!

I find I have to get deeply inside a character’s mindspace in order to write convincingly, but this particular dude is in a very dire situation and is becoming increasingly depressed – and myself along with him. So much so, I’ve now abandoned the work halfway through in order to avoid being completely mired in his despair.

What can I do? How do you distance yourself from a bleak, self-loathing character without compromising his narrative voice?

Any suggestions appreciated, thanks.

If you’re the type who generally is able to get inside a character’s head – I can’t do this – and you now want to know what to do, to distance yourself from a particular character without compromising his narrative voice, then you don’t need a bunch of wankers in a forum offering advice. You need someone highly skilled in mind-training. My guess is that it will be an uphill battle. Learning to become remote would be like unlearning how to read.

Hahaha yeah nice point, perhaps what I really need is a good psychiatrist?!

Intriguingly, you created the character.

Of course - but does this necessarily mean that I should like him? Are writers always supposed to like their characters?

Another way to phrase my question would be: how do you stay motivated to write a really depressing story? The stuff I normally write is a lot more playful and humorous. Maybe I'm just pushing too far out of my comfort zone...

"Of course - but does this necessarily mean that I should like him? Are writers always supposed to like their characters?"

Not the good ones. I don't figure Stephen King is in love with vampires, possessed automobiles or murderous clowns. But he still manages to write a damn good story.

For me (and that is truly all I can answer for), just living through the damn process is the path. My family doesn't much appreciate when I'm writing a dark or otherwise unpleasant character. But I get through it--we all do--and move on to something sunnier. The one caveat I might add is to remember that you are not the character, neither is the character you. Although the process might be unpleasant, and even get you down a little, you are still you and should be able to rise above the writing.

Don't forget to have fun....

Because at the end of the day, it's just a story.

Do you think that it might change the dynamic if you brought another kind of trouble on him? It might be like hitting your thumb with a hammer in order to forget you have a headache, but it also might shake things up enough to work.

As much as I do get into my characters' heads it would be easier to write from a distance in this instance. Being able to identify with the character can as easily mean that you tell the story as though it happened to someone you know well vs. if it happened to you.

Hope that you can power through this, it sounds like you'd still really like to tell the story. Put fingers to keyboard and just do it.