Survey: Hardest Character to write?

POSTED BY: Arcadia
UPDATED: Saturday, January 13, 2007 16:21
VIEWED: 20439
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ARCADIA

Saturday, July 29, 2006 8:38 PM

For all the fanfic writers out there, which character do you find hardest to write?

For me, its Wash. I'm always afraid he won't be funny enough, or that his humor will be wrong, etc. Its sad, because I like Wash a great deal, but I just can't get my -- pen? -- around him.

*sigh*

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Arcadia
aka Greyfable and/or Katie

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DEEPGIRL187

Saturday, July 29, 2006 8:42 PM

I've attempted (empahsis on attempted) to write fan fiction a couple of times, and for me, the biggest stumper is River. Her unique brand of speech is a challenge that I've seen only the most gifted writers pull off.

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"Now they see the sky and they remember what they are."

ARCADIA

Saturday, July 29, 2006 8:45 PM

Yeah, River's really hard, too. I would rank her as my second hardest character to write. *double sigh*

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Arcadia
aka Greyfable and/or Katie

like the avatar? there are more. grab one here: http://snipurl.com/syt0. Happy Summer of Serenity!
www.stillflying.net -- picking up Firefly were Joss left off. We will hold 'til he gets back.
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SPACEANJL

Saturday, July 29, 2006 8:51 PM

Haven't tried writing Wash yet, since I started my fic post BDM. (Same thing for Book.) But I share your concern - he was so much the spark and snark that he's difficult to capture.

River can be awkward, unless you take the view that whatever she says does have an internal logic to it. Some people write her too young and too disassociated, I think. Very clever people can be obscure in conversation - too many quotes or metaphors.

For me, the most difficult was Inara. I can get her speech pattern, but the mindset is quite alien to me. More so than the li'l crazyboots, which is kinda worrisome.

LEIASKY

Saturday, July 29, 2006 11:36 PM

Definitely Wash for me. After that would be Zoe.

"A government is a body of people usually notably ungoverned."

ARCADIA

Sunday, July 30, 2006 5:29 AM

"...take the view that whatever she says does have an internal logic to it."

That's great advice for writing River! Everything she does makes sense -- to her. Well, 99% of it anyway, and if you think hard enough you can understand. She's still tricky, but that's a good way of looking at it.

Zoe used to be my second hardest character to write, but after a while I became more comfortable with her. She's a really cool character, somewhat of a rarity in the world of television. She's she's warm, she's funny, she's tough as nails, but above all she is sure of herself. She's got flaws, sure, but they don't scare her. I've grown to like her quite a bit.

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Arcadia
aka Greyfable and/or Katie

like the avatar? there are more. grab one here: http://snipurl.com/syt0. Happy Summer of Serenity!
www.stillflying.net -- picking up Firefly were Joss left off. We will hold 'til he gets back.
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SPACEANJL

Sunday, July 30, 2006 8:28 AM

Zoe was tricky, until I got her speech pattern down. Once I started writing it with an idea that there was a certain wry humour there, it fell into place. I think that line in the BDM sums her up perfectly - "She's tore up plenty, but she'll fly true." You cannot break this woman. The 'verse has tried, and come damn close, but it ain't happenin'. She'll mourn, but she won't lay down and die. She always calls Mal 'sir', but sometimes with a significant pause. Behind every strong man, there's a strong woman, rolling her eyes, and hissing, 'no, you idiot, the other left' sort of thing.

Speech patterns were definitely the key for me. I think you could write a page of dialogue between the characters, and know exactly which one was talking, if it's done correctly.

PHOENIXROSE

Sunday, July 30, 2006 8:39 AM

I just have to jump in on the speech pattern thing, because I think a lot of people are guilty of exagerating Kaylee's drawl. She isn't any more sloppy in her speech than Mal; certainly less so than Jayne, but i've read so many stories where she has the sloppiest accent and it really bothers me.
Hardest character for me to write would probably be Wash. I haven't even tried to write all of them yet, though, so I can't be sure on that. I seem to have a handle on River, Zoe, and Mal to some extent, but I don't know about all the others. Slow and steady; I'll get more written, I'll get it.

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SPACEANJL

Sunday, July 30, 2006 9:33 AM

Have to ask, PR - the drawl thing, am I a guilty party? I read up on some of the sources Joss used for language origin (research geek) but I'm a Brit, and a little panicky that I might be pissing folk off. (Then, I've been using Chinese puns and no-one's screamed at those yet...)

Would welcome any suggestions if anything is a little OoC, linguistically.

PHOENIXROSE

Sunday, July 30, 2006 9:42 AM

I actually can't remember which stories it was, I just remember it annoying me a little. When I can't hear the character's voice in my head as I read, there is something wrong. Kaylee does use a bit of drawl and slang, but not constantly. For example; "I'm not speaking to you, captain." has no slang or drawl in it. The most drawly thing she says (off the top of my head) is "I never even been up in one before." She doesn't say "I ain't never even been up in one afore." which is similar to some of the things I've seen put in her mouth. She just... doesn't... talk... like that. In fact, none of them are that bad.
I'll see if I can dig up examples, but I don't promise anything. However, you, darling AnJL, seem to have common sense (I'd have to read and/or re-read your stuff to see how you do the accents) and I doubt you really overdo it.

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