while working on "Carter Hall Judges the Lines"

[mrissa]

I think I have previously underestimated the benefits of having an ally character in a story who scares the living crap out of the protag/narrator.

This is the sort of writing insight that I will have to try hard not to overuse.

On the other hand, in the past and probably in the future I have been leaning pretty heavily on having a protag/narrator who scares the living crap out of his/her allies, so I suppose turnabout is only fair play. For somebody. Possibly not me, though.

Comments

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

When the protag starts into a series of bad puns, the ally can put the fear of herself in him and cut it quite, quite short.

Just for example; all sorts of other obnoxious traits can be reined in.

Also there's an additional motivation besides the usual ones, and that is, "So [ally] doesn't kill me."

In Carter's case, Janet.