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Life, misfortunes, isolation, abandonment, poverty, are battlefields which have their heroes; obscure heroes, sometimes greater than the illustrious heroes
-Victor Hugo
Solitude vivifies; isolation kills
-Joseph Roux
We're all of us sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins, for life!
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ISOLATION
Humans are social animals.
While we can all think of exceptions, they tend to illustrate the generality.
In fiction, we can use isolation to our advantage. One of the best ways to keep a reader reading is to introduce dramatic tension into the story. Tension can be described as a disparity between what is, and what the character wants it to be - or what the reader thinks it should be. One form of tension is simply the state of being alone - isolation - which, in most cases, must be resolved by rejoining the character to humanity. Or elfity, or roboty; depends on the actual race you're describing.
Since I've been on a comic book kick in recent issues, let's examine some popular characters whose appeal resides, at least in part, with their isolation.
Superman: Last Son of Krypton. Last survivor of a dead race. If that's not isolation, I don't know what is. To know - not just fear, but know that your entire race is a memory, except for you - that's gotta do stuff to a person. Fortunately, Superman isn't a person (though he plays one on TV) and is tough enough to take it without going batcrap crazy. Speaking of which...
Batman: Is, well, Batman. When he was a kid, he pleased entire generations of psychologists by witnessing the mugging death of his parents. The ultimate loner - except when he had that slightly seedy relationship with Robin going on, when there was a whole lot less dramatic tension. Oh, and did I mention that Batman is certifiable? Really, come on. Just look at the guy.
Wolverine: Yeah, I know I talked about Logan last issue, but the movie's still out, and a big part of the character's charm is that no matter how well he works in a team, he's ultimately set apart from everyone else. Doesn't brood quite as much as Batman, though.
Spider-Man: These days, I hear Peter Parker's married to Mary Jane and no longer working for that great inferiority complex generator, the Daily Bugle. But I haven't read those stories, and I still say the classic Peter Parker is a castaway science nerd who somehow manages not to go all Columbine on the city.
The Hulk: Don't even get me started. Who remembers the old TV series based on the comic, which, I distinctly remember, ended every episode with "David" Banner walking alone into the sunset? With the distinctive theme music. Two guys in one body, and always, melodramatically, alone.
Outside of comics, consider other famous fantasy and science fiction examples of isolation (most of which are later resolved): Sigourney Weaver's character in Alien; Frodo, who, while usually with a companion or twelve, had the weight of "only you can save the world" on his tiny, round shoulders; the character Harry Dresden, penned by Jim Butcher, who's isolated even in company; that other Harry (Potter), who starts every book isolated from everyone who cares about him - and finds that friends are the greatest magic of all; Corwin of Amber, who starts out completely isolated in a bed, bereft even of memory; pretty much any starship captain you can name... perhaps every character has to go through a stretch of isolation. It's good for them. It builds - or, at least, helps to define - character.
But unless you're going for Hulk-style melodrama (which, after all, probably kept viewers coming back), isolation is tension you have to resolve - sometime. (Note that stories in the horror genre often reverse this - starting with social scenes and ending with someone being very, very alone.)
Should be easy enough to incorporate isolation into your work. Writers tend to be solitary by nature. Just try not to take it to an extreme - you probably would look stupid in a batsuit. |
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Last month, I talked about character - using Wolverine as an example.
Caledonia Lass  writes,
Haha! I loved Wolverine waaaaay before Hugh came onto the big screen. I'm a bit of a smart ass myself....ok, more than a bit. *Smirks* At any rate, memorable characters can be easy to create if you just look at the "palette" around you that you have to work with. Almost every single one of my characters has a personality trait(s) of friends. More often than not, I will pick things up from total strangers after having observed them (quietly) from my "window". If you know 'human nature' creating characters (memorable ones) can become quite easy. Treat them like your best friend, talk to them. It will get easier. Great newsletter!
Very true, and a good way to add definition to characters. Just don't be too obvious - the "any resemblance" disclaimer is stuck in printed novels for a reason!
Tadpole1  writes,
Hello Bob,
This was a very interesting article - another blip on the screen.
Thank you
And thank YOU for reading and responding!
Ieshwar writes,
Characters are definitely very important. After all, the readers will be seeing the new world through their eyes. Don't know much about Wolverine though (I know him just because of Hugh Jackman. Haha) But I'm thinking of Harry Potter. You have to admit that JK Rowling had great characters. And personally, I tend to favour side characters to main characters- Quirky Luna from HP, Cool Turquoise Blue from Key of Kingdoms, Bossy Nyaeneve from Wheel of Time Series... They add colours to the story! :D
Yes, don't forget side characters! Just as it's important to flesh out the characteristics of major players in your story, it's also important to have memorable and interesting side characters. Minimize walk-on parts!
redfairie3
I officially LOVE the xmen!!!
and particulary wolverine!!! 3
even more when hugh jackman played him!!!!
THANKS,THANKS,THANKS!!!
for featuring him!!!!
Point proven!
And that's it for me for this month - until we meet again,
DREAM ON! |
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Fantasy: June 10, 2009 Issue [#3099]
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