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This week has taken forever to end -- but I also kind of feel like it went by really fast. I got a ton of work done, which is kind of surprising, because I don't feel like I did anything.
Today I went into Melissa's office and she made me feel better about my disdain for the reluctant hero.
I really really really get annoyed by the reluctant hero. Part of this stems out of the fact that I think people shouldn't do things they don't want to do, and the other part of this stems out of my irritation with martyrs.
The best example I have of this is Alias:
You've got this person (Sydney) who chooses her life. Then when she finds out that she was given special training as a child to make her the Best Sooper Sekrit Spy Evah!!!!, she starts bitching about how she was never given a choice, how she doesn't want to be a spy, but she has to, because no one else can do what she does.
I hate this for several reasons. Reason #1: It's manipulative. Reason #2: It's stupid. Reason #3: Being a Super Secret Spy is fucking awesome. Who does she think she's kidding? Reason #4: If she didn't want to be a spy, she could have said no at the very beginning! Reason #5: This is a plot device, and a very thinly disguised one. Hello, there is actual real conflict that could be utilized to create plots. What's the point of this obviously contrived crap?
There are better ways to create conflict. The hero can be lacking the skill set necessary to be able to save the princess. The hero can have to solve puzzles to save the princess. Ad nauseam.
Surely there are better reasons for a hero to be reluctant anyway.
Like, if someone came to me and said, "You're a hero. You have to save the world by killing all the vampires and demons and idiots," probably what I would say first is, "AWESOME! What's my super power?"
But the second thing I would say is, "Actually, no -- I can't. Sorry. I have to pay off my student loans and my car insurance. Also, would I get benefits? Only if I was a hero in Canada? Okay, sorry, no can do!"
There, now I am a reluctant hero, without all this martyr crap that always seems to go along with the reluctant hero crap.
And, frankly, if someone came to me and said, "We'll pay you a lot of money and give you great benefits and make sure that your mother's mortage is covered while we're at it, if you'll just beat King Koopa and save the princess -- it's kind of dangerous, but you've got the skill set!"
Well, I would say, "Excellent! Point me at the direction of the sewers! I will storm off on this journey! Quick, give me a plucky sidekick no one can kill and a lot of sex appeal! I want to be the hero!"
Melissa enabled me terribly, and then we planned out what we're going to talk about at Writers Weekend (probably some variation on my above rant), and then I drank a lot of coffee.
Today I went into Melissa's office and she made me feel better about my disdain for the reluctant hero.
I really really really get annoyed by the reluctant hero. Part of this stems out of the fact that I think people shouldn't do things they don't want to do, and the other part of this stems out of my irritation with martyrs.
The best example I have of this is Alias:
You've got this person (Sydney) who chooses her life. Then when she finds out that she was given special training as a child to make her the Best Sooper Sekrit Spy Evah!!!!, she starts bitching about how she was never given a choice, how she doesn't want to be a spy, but she has to, because no one else can do what she does.
I hate this for several reasons. Reason #1: It's manipulative. Reason #2: It's stupid. Reason #3: Being a Super Secret Spy is fucking awesome. Who does she think she's kidding? Reason #4: If she didn't want to be a spy, she could have said no at the very beginning! Reason #5: This is a plot device, and a very thinly disguised one. Hello, there is actual real conflict that could be utilized to create plots. What's the point of this obviously contrived crap?
There are better ways to create conflict. The hero can be lacking the skill set necessary to be able to save the princess. The hero can have to solve puzzles to save the princess. Ad nauseam.
Surely there are better reasons for a hero to be reluctant anyway.
Like, if someone came to me and said, "You're a hero. You have to save the world by killing all the vampires and demons and idiots," probably what I would say first is, "AWESOME! What's my super power?"
But the second thing I would say is, "Actually, no -- I can't. Sorry. I have to pay off my student loans and my car insurance. Also, would I get benefits? Only if I was a hero in Canada? Okay, sorry, no can do!"
There, now I am a reluctant hero, without all this martyr crap that always seems to go along with the reluctant hero crap.
And, frankly, if someone came to me and said, "We'll pay you a lot of money and give you great benefits and make sure that your mother's mortage is covered while we're at it, if you'll just beat King Koopa and save the princess -- it's kind of dangerous, but you've got the skill set!"
Well, I would say, "Excellent! Point me at the direction of the sewers! I will storm off on this journey! Quick, give me a plucky sidekick no one can kill and a lot of sex appeal! I want to be the hero!"
Melissa enabled me terribly, and then we planned out what we're going to talk about at Writers Weekend (probably some variation on my above rant), and then I drank a lot of coffee.