Is there a place and time for stereotypes? Could it be that sometimes stereotypes are used because they accurately portray a group of people or things? Or is it that, even if that’s true, you should try to make your characters different from the norm so they stand out in the readers’ minds? Or… should that be reserved for your main characters so they stand out from your backdrop of stereotypical secondary characters? Or… I could go on and on with different scenarios.
But my question is, what do you do? Do you work at flavoring each character with something different and unique? Do you keep some characters “normal” with looks and behavior that are “everyman” so that readers can identify with them and so they don’t detract from your main characters?
If your protagonist walked into a house or apartment they’d never been in before and the first thing they saw was a wall clock - a black cat, tail swinging back and forth and eyes clicking left and right with each second that ticked by - what would that tell the reader (and the protagonist) about the owner of the house or apartment? Would their first assumption prove to be right?
Here’s a picture of a wedding ring quilt on a bed. Put it in your book. Whose bed is it on? Is that person old, young, male, female? Did they make the quilt? If not, who did? Was the room painted and designed around the quilt…or was the quilt added because it fit the room? Is it in the master bedroom or a guest room? Was it a wedding gift for a young couple? An older couple? Was it made by a great aunt and it’s an heirloom? If you put this quilt in your book, what would you do with it - and why?
I see the quilt as a wedding gift from an elderly aunt you met once as a child, but who lives in a foreign country. In an effort not to offend your family living locally, you have put the quilt on the double bed in the guest room as the walls are "builder's beige". Also, nobody ever comes to visit...
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Alan. I can see a story being built around this quilt.
ReplyDeletePerhaps that elderly aunt shows up, suitcases in hand, on my doorstep and turns my life into a crazy quilt of color, activity and friendship. (It's Sunday, I'm in a "literary" mood rather than a mystery mood - we'll see if that changes as the day progresses!)
Alan nailed it with me! It looks so pristine, it would have to be on a guest bed that's rarely used.
ReplyDeleteL. Diane Wolfe
www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
www.spunkonastick.net
www.thecircleoffriends.net
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ReplyDeleteAhh, Diane, that brings up other questions for the fictional storyline. Why is it not used? And why does the owner have so few guests?
ReplyDeleteThe thing about stereotypes is that they usually are built on a thread of truth. So sometimes it's difficult to avoid them entirely!
ReplyDeleteI think it's useful to tweak and twist a stereotype and surprise the reader. For example, if I used the weeding quilt in my book, it'd belong to a Goth Queen Teen and be her most prized possession.
ReplyDeleteGood move, Conda! I like that. It gives Goth Queen Teen a whole new dimension.
ReplyDeleteNo, you're right, Alexis. You can't avoid them completely.
Excellent post, lots of good points and thought-provoking questions. The bed was clincher. Brilliant prompt.
ReplyDeleteIn my book this is a faux heir purchased from a catalog. It covers the bed in the master bedroom she shares with her husband, and the wife makes the bed every morning so there's nary a ripple or wrinkle. She looks and acts proper - until she's actually in the bed with her lover and then all bets are off.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to play with ideas revolving around this quilt. Loved Amy's idea that it shows one facet of a character in sharp contrast to the surprise facet. And I think that highlights the point of using some of the typical characteristics, then surprising the reader. The surprises are what usually cement the character.
ReplyDeleteExcellent twist, Amy. You've turned the stereotype on its end.
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