Question of the day, #1

[mrissa]

So I was thinking about the recent rants from "oh noes, girl cooties in my SF" people. I was thinking about which traits of mine are most crucial to my reading experience when reflected in characters. I do not, for example, find it particularly difficult to care about male characters, or non-white characters, or homosexual characters. But I was pretty sure that if I thought about it, I would come up with some things where I really did want characters to be "like me."

What I came up with is loyalty.

I don't require a character with whom I can identify; caring is enough. But when a character is blithely disloyal to people who are showing them loyalty, I have a hard time not putting down the book and walking away.

How about you? What traits do you want to share--or at least not blatantly not share--with a character in order to care about their story?

Comments

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

when a character is blithely disloyal to people who are showing them loyalty, I have a hard time not putting down the book and walking away

Exactly. I remember reading Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David, and at the end wondering why I had bothered. It was borrowed from a friend, so no loss that way, but the author went on my do-not-read list.

I also don't like really stupid characters. I don't mind characters making mistakes -- how can you have a plot otherwise? -- but they have to be the kind of mistakes a reasonable person would make. Not "exploring a deserted castle in your nightgown" mistakes.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Well, some of my favorite plot is about people wanting contradictory things. Neither of them has to be stupid or even make mistakes, although of course people do make mistakes and probably should in fiction as well. But if you want X for sensible reasons of your own, and someone else wants not-X for sensible reasons of their own, voila, plot.

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

And frequently an excellent plot, too!

[moiread]

...Actually, I can think of some fun and awesome scenarios for "exploring a deserted castle in your nightgown", but they probably don't fit the angle you're referring to.

[ckd]

exploring a deserted castle in your nightgown

Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

...but what was the deserted castle doing in your nightgown in the first place ?