CHARACTER OBSESSION
Have you ever been obsessed with a character from a Film, TV series, or Novel? One thing I’ve learned from writing and performing music on stage in front of crowds of people is the overlooked concept of being relatable. A music producer once told me passionately that often times musicians write solely on their understanding and perspective. What he meant was that the objective is to write with a mixture of both elements of yourself and the understanding of your audience.
I fell in love with Anastasia Steele, the protagonist in the book and film, “Fifty Shades of Grey.” The story in itself was enough to get you hot and bothered but what’s the point of another sexual story? As I’ve talked about before in my previous post. Ana wasn’t just a sexual outlet for Christian Grey’s desires. It was the quality of her nature exquisitely written that makes her relatable. Everyone has been a virgin at some point in their life. I’m pretty sure anyone could relate in the aspect of having their delicate male or female innocence taken in a penthouse in Seattle by a viable candidate, to some degree anyway.
But it wasn’t just that. In the book, Ana’s at her graduation and Christian is the guest speaker. After the ceremony and their encounter off the platform, they meet up again at the reception. When Ana and Grey are together at this point, something sparks between them on a different level. For grey it was the promise of submission. For Ana it was the willingness to do whatever it takes for love. In that moment in the reception she wasn’t worried about who would see her and this celebrity on an intimate level. She expresses that everyone disappeared. What was important to Ana was articulated from the simplicity of a valued moment, by E L James.
Characters not only have voices in their dialogue but also in their choices of action. It’s in what they do when they’re alone in their own minds that could set the tone of how they are perceived. We are on both sides respectfully split between the writer and audience. It’s like a young boy finding inspiration in a Hero. He doesn’t become obsessed in just his dialogue but his actions and his choices of wether to be brave or merciless.
If your not obsessed with your characters, maybe they need a little more definition or depth to who they are when no one is around. This is one thing I’ve been working on earnestly. As writers we sometimes leave our thoughts for the empty page. Not everyone writes or has an outlet for what they feel. When they are able to connect with a character that has something in common with them, Something magical happens. They relate. They become intertwined. The can become obsessed. In my opinion anyway.
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