To tell the truth, a character I've been working on is pretty flat. I've known this for some time and just can't seem to shake that. I've tried different ways to make them complex in a fun and interesting way. The character, Jesse, is an outcast. A typical outcast that was bullied as well as ignored in high school. Hardly one to make friends, he remains shy and an introvert even as he starts college. He is the youngest of four with a twin sister that's a minute older than him.
So, ok. He's an outcast. Doesn't fit in anywhere. He's shy and just beginning to realize that he's gay. Yeah. It's that kind of story: your typical coming of age. Not even the fact that he was raised Mormon and comes from a Mormon family is meant to be anything more than a part of the conflict. It's not meant to be the defining part of the story. Just assisting in moving the plot forward.
I mean, sure. Cool. Gay and Mormon. Ooo. So horrible. Not really. His personality has never been defined by Mormonism. Yeah, he grew up in the religion. Did all that he was supposed to do. But he never believed. Both his brothers served missions and his sister intends on doing so. She's even going to the Mormon school BYU while he attends one of the state colleges in Washington state. But he's still an outsider when it comes to this religion. His parents want him to go on a mission but at the same time already look on him as a failure. This isn't because he doesn't really follow their faith. But it's because their personalities clash and they have never really taken the time to reach out to him and understand him. This, of course, goes both ways. The two parties stand on opposite sides of a cliche chasm.
His roommate is also Mormon and someone that has come back from serving a mission. Despite all my talk about "missions" this isn't a major factor in the story. Just facts, ha ha!
Beyond religion, he's shy (as already mentioned). He's still young, an eighteen-year-old, and just beginning college. He has no idea what he wants to do with his life and feels more lost than anything. He's afraid to reach out and admit that he's gay to anyone. So when it comes to this, he has hopeless crushes. I don't want this to come across as pathetic (but it is). Just another foil in his character.
Still, events will come along to challenge him to discover himself (cause that's what's supposed to happen, lol). But mixed with it all, and hopefully this makes the story an enjoyable read, is that it's not just a kid coming out and accepting himself, but a story of magic and mystery.
So in all of this, I want it to be a story of self-discovery, hope, and finding out about more than just being gay. I hope it would be an adventure that takes readers of all kinds into an odyssey through the eyes of a character that is sympathetic, funny, and quirky as the story unfolds.
Wow, well, ok. I feel a little better after writing that. Gives me a little more sense how I want the story to progress and how I want the character to act and be like! Phew!
No comments:
Post a Comment