How This Critter Crits
Viewing comments for Chapter 11 "Good, Evil and Warts"GROWTH? ADULATION? HURRY -- CHOOSE!
53 total reviews
Comment from c_lucas
My first comment is to make the font larger. I had to cut and paste into WORD to get a readable font. You have a sound argument about character development. Your repost is very well written with a smooth flow of words, making for a very good read.
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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My first comment is to make the font larger. I had to cut and paste into WORD to get a readable font. You have a sound argument about character development. Your repost is very well written with a smooth flow of words, making for a very good read.
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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I'll check that font. I paste everything to Word for that reason.
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You're welcome, Jay. Charlie
Comment from barkingdog
Fine article, Jay.
To present a whole character and not just an empty facade makes the writer work, not just tell what he/she is doing, but give some sort of plausible feel for why the character is behaving as they are. It's the hard part; but to those with a knack for it, the self just naturally shows through the way he/she moves, chooses vocabulary, omits or discloses feelings, etc. As the self developed, good and bad traits grew side by side. Somewhere one side begins to dominate. That doesn't mean that the other one doesn't exist.
reply by the author on 19-Jul-2015
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Fine article, Jay.
To present a whole character and not just an empty facade makes the writer work, not just tell what he/she is doing, but give some sort of plausible feel for why the character is behaving as they are. It's the hard part; but to those with a knack for it, the self just naturally shows through the way he/she moves, chooses vocabulary, omits or discloses feelings, etc. As the self developed, good and bad traits grew side by side. Somewhere one side begins to dominate. That doesn't mean that the other one doesn't exist.
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 19-Jul-2015
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Some good points, Ellen, well put! Thank you for adding that. I appreciate your obvious close read of this and your kind and helpful remarks.
Comment from angelface2
Jay, thanks for sharing this. It's wonderfully written. I am so glad I read it. You have given me things to think about in my writing. (I've been an amateur actress, too, so I know what you mean.) :>D Miss Sally
reply by the author on 19-Jul-2015
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Jay, thanks for sharing this. It's wonderfully written. I am so glad I read it. You have given me things to think about in my writing. (I've been an amateur actress, too, so I know what you mean.) :>D Miss Sally
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 19-Jul-2015
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Hey, Miss Sally. I'm happy this had some resonance for you. I'm giddy with happiness that someone had a left-over six for me as well. Thank you so much for your support.
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I want you to know that those sixes come from the heart, I don't give them out easily. You did an excellent job of writing. I do appreciate it. Miss Sally
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I do know that, Miss Sally, and cherish it.
Jay
Comment from Sis Cat
Reading this post after a week hiatus reviewing so I could write refreshed me. Engaging example with Justin Bateman interview. I agree with your warts and all recommendations for character development, whether or not the characters are good or evil. I perform most of my stories live and show my character's warts. This makes the audience empathize with me. Storytellers who tell stories of purely good or evil characters often bore me. I am glad you confirmed my practice in your well-written essay. Thank you for sharing.
reply by the author on 19-Jul-2015
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Reading this post after a week hiatus reviewing so I could write refreshed me. Engaging example with Justin Bateman interview. I agree with your warts and all recommendations for character development, whether or not the characters are good or evil. I perform most of my stories live and show my character's warts. This makes the audience empathize with me. Storytellers who tell stories of purely good or evil characters often bore me. I am glad you confirmed my practice in your well-written essay. Thank you for sharing.
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 19-Jul-2015
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Oh, Andre, thank you so much for the six stars and your always kind affirmation of what I do here. This means we're gonna get something from you before too long, right?
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Right!
Comment from justafan
Hey you! Tell me if I got this right...make my character either too good to be true and let his badassness shine in the end ... or be so bad in the beginning then have some redeeming qualities? You know I am really an angel through and through...NOT. Forget my attempt at humor, was I close?
I love this!! You're still my hero Jay.
Always your biggest fan,
Missy
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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Hey you! Tell me if I got this right...make my character either too good to be true and let his badassness shine in the end ... or be so bad in the beginning then have some redeeming qualities? You know I am really an angel through and through...NOT. Forget my attempt at humor, was I close?
I love this!! You're still my hero Jay.
Always your biggest fan,
Missy
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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RIGHT! Each character, though, based on his/her unique social/personal/educational/hereditary/etc.etc., has her/his recognizable extremes for both ends. You should know these for your characters. Push him toward those extremes, but pull her back when he or she or it starts getting unbalanced.
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Gotcha!!
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Yep!
Comment from Curly Girly
This was a good read, Jay. I agree with you. A writer must get into the head of the characters he / she is writing about. One needs to feel what they feel, etc. Nobody is perfect--for sure, lol!
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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This was a good read, Jay. I agree with you. A writer must get into the head of the characters he / she is writing about. One needs to feel what they feel, etc. Nobody is perfect--for sure, lol!
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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Thank you, Nicole. Glad it struck home with you. To be sure, you and I are the only two perfect ones left, right?
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NO. I am not perfect.
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Ah ... It's lonely all by myself, Nicole.
Comment from Shirley McLain
Very good information. I like the idea of making sure your characters have warts. i have a tendency to make them good humans. Thanks for sharing. Shirley
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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Very good information. I like the idea of making sure your characters have warts. i have a tendency to make them good humans. Thanks for sharing. Shirley
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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Thank you, Shirley. I think we all do. Like I said no one is all good OR all bad. Appreciate your comments and your rating.
Comment from Phyllis Stewart
A bit wordy and rambling, but you made the point in there somewhere, especially at the end. Characters are PEOPLE, with all the dimensions. Everyone does good and bad by other people's perspectives, and even by their own much of the time. This is why I made Lucifer kind of pathetic and had him in love with Ginger. Shows he is not pure evil, just cranky, stupid, and can't handle life. Likewise, my heroes are flawed in their own ways. I don't even like Sara from SPEECHLESS...what a wimp! Max from REPENTANCE has been rich and privileged all his life and thinks he's better than the masses. But in my books I have the characters WORK on their flaws, so that they end up being better people. Except hopeless Sara...she's always going to need a man to lean on. :)
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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A bit wordy and rambling, but you made the point in there somewhere, especially at the end. Characters are PEOPLE, with all the dimensions. Everyone does good and bad by other people's perspectives, and even by their own much of the time. This is why I made Lucifer kind of pathetic and had him in love with Ginger. Shows he is not pure evil, just cranky, stupid, and can't handle life. Likewise, my heroes are flawed in their own ways. I don't even like Sara from SPEECHLESS...what a wimp! Max from REPENTANCE has been rich and privileged all his life and thinks he's better than the masses. But in my books I have the characters WORK on their flaws, so that they end up being better people. Except hopeless Sara...she's always going to need a man to lean on. :)
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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Thanks for reading. Wordy in the sense of too many, not too big. Correct? I'll buy that. By now, though, you probably see much of that isn't going to change. It's me. That doesn't mean I don't need bright people like you goad me occasionally. You are an asset to me. So don't sit on your ... laurels, hardy.
Comment from Spiritual Echo
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
You say authentic, I say naked. Let's squish that pimple on your-his-the writer's ass. I shall not, nor do I expect that you will ask me to justify my absolute agreement with your post.
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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Brilliant!
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
You say authentic, I say naked. Let's squish that pimple on your-his-the writer's ass. I shall not, nor do I expect that you will ask me to justify my absolute agreement with your post.
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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Thank you X 5 for your "Brilliants"... X 6 for the lovely chartreuse cross. I can live with a pimple anywhere but there. Thanks for squishing it.
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And it's Saturday, just to show you how stingy I am.
Comment from royowen
One thing struck me when I was selling, that people thought I was looking for an opportunity to fleece them, but even when I became a Christian that same thing somehow pervaded and I was going to try and rob them of something. Some people are afraid of "Ultimate evil", and as you rightfully point out, there's no such thing, we all have an agenda to flog, whether it be monetary of morally. I loved this, Jay, no wonder you're a great writer, you've learnt much, been a great student of reaction, well done, good write, blessings, Roy.
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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One thing struck me when I was selling, that people thought I was looking for an opportunity to fleece them, but even when I became a Christian that same thing somehow pervaded and I was going to try and rob them of something. Some people are afraid of "Ultimate evil", and as you rightfully point out, there's no such thing, we all have an agenda to flog, whether it be monetary of morally. I loved this, Jay, no wonder you're a great writer, you've learnt much, been a great student of reaction, well done, good write, blessings, Roy.
Comment Written 18-Jul-2015
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2015
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Trust it to you to take away something from my writing that you can use. You are so right about the customer/salesman relationship. Bless you.
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Yep. a curse and a blessing at the same time,