Author vs Characters beliefs and views

[Luke]

Hey, I would love to hear opinions and observations on author vs character views and beliefs. I posted in another thread that I hate when an author injects their personal views into a story, even if they are views that I agree with.

But, in a story with a character that is a racist I can write the language and attitudes and thoughts of a racist easily, not because I am one but because I have been around a lot of them. I also research characters even if it means reading their horrible literature. Same with atheists, fundamentalist, bikers...sinners and saints. You get the picture.

My concern is that I want to write the thoughts and dialogue and actions true to these characters and work hard not to interject my beliefs and views. One of my pet peeves is when a character is clearly acting on the writers views and not their own.

Can you differentiate between character and author? Do you have tips, advice, observations about this topic? Maybe examples of where writers have gone wrong?

Thanks!

[Scott]

Luke, I think it'll be clear to the readers that you are writing such material from the character's POV rather than your own. I've included several secondary characters in my books that have been racists, rapists, sociopaths, etc., and no one had ever called me out for using offensive language about different ethnic groups or women or for the actions they take. In the beginning, I used to feel very uncomfortable writing this type of material out of concern that it would create a backlash. Now I enjoy writing these scenes because I want to make the reader feel uncomfortable confronting the hard reality of this world.

Having said that, I do think there are limits to what you can get away with. My current WIP includes one female character who finds herself at the mercy of a rape gang. While I am trying to be very forthcoming about the emotional/physical trauma she is enduring and the guilt she goes through over doing what she has to do to survive, I refuse to "show" any of the rape scenes.

[Debra]

I suspect most authors do put a fair bit of their own sensibilities, opinions, etc into their main character. Not knowing most authors personally, I can't really say to what degree but I think it makes sense that they would, especially newer writers. I don't think anyone really has a problem with that.

I think most people's problem comes when the author uses the story to beat the readers over the head with their political agenda. The most common example of this seems to occur when an author makes all of the "good" characters be uber-right wing and has them pontificating throughout about how all those liberals were so stupid not to be prepared and were now probably dead.

Some will have a few "lefties" survive but be so monumentally stupid ("We don't have to KILL them" "Let's try talking to them") that it's hard to believe they survived the first hour of the zombie apocalypse.

I've read several like this. While I'm admittedly one of those "stupid liberals", I don't have a problem with a character having a right wing slant. (Hey, I live in Texas. I'd have exploded long ago if hearing opposing political views bothered me much.)

I do, however, object to using the plot as almost a background whose main purpose is to promote an author's political agenda. Not only is it off-putting and distracting from the actual story, but I have a hard time believing that anyone finds politics so important once governments and society in general is pretty much destroyed.

[Luke]

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.

One comment, "I have a hard time believing that anyone finds politics so important once governments and society in general is pretty much destroyed" That's because, like me, you would put aside your differences in order to survive. Believe me I have met people who would kill themselves if it meant killing you too. Forget reason, logic, mutual benefit, etc... I really was stunned the first three or four times I met people like that, but believe me those people are out there on both sides of the political spectrum.

[Debra]

It's a point. Let's face it, no matter what kind of grouping you put people into, you're going to end up with a certain percentage of the stunningly idiotic.

[Tammy K.]

I am just a reader. I speak only for myself.

Characters are highly important for me. I DO NOT want to read about stereotypical, cardboard cut out, characters.

When I see that an author has slapped together a cardboard cut out and made it relevant in the storyline for anything other than Zombie food, I usually end up closing the book in disgust.

Yes, there are racist, homophobic, leftists, rightists and so on in real life.
Yes, each of us can imagine what those characters will say and or do in any number of situations.

BUT do not bore us with the same old same old.

I highly recommend to all authors, to get away from those ridiculous characters.

Instead, offer your readers "original" characters. Give each character its own identity.

If you were to walk into a zombie convention, and really talk to the people there, you are going to find that while they like some of the same things, they vary greatly.

This is the way it is with many 'subcultures' of society.

Even in a "Democratic" family, you are going to find a few independence and maybe some Republicans at the family reunion.

The person who varies from the norm or isn't 'on the extremes' is far more interesting than those who follow the 'party line'.

I would much rather read about a character who makes changes in him/herself thereby achieving personal growth and insight than that same old cliche of a broken down, former military, middle age man who saves the twenty something year old beauty queen from the zombie apocalypse.

In conclusion, your characters do speak for you.
They are a reflection of the quality of writer you are.
Do not be lazy, it will show.
Create, be original, give us something/someone that hasn't been done a thousand times before.

[Luke]

I agree and thanks for this reply. Do you have suggestions or examples of what you are talking about? I am specifically trying to create unique characters.

[Tammy K.]

Oh...well let me ramble a bit than offer you links.
Years ago when I started writing reviews of the books that I read for Amazon and other websites, I realize that I needed away to express why a book worked or didn't work for me.
What makes a book a 3, 4, 5 star? Simply saying it's a 3 star book seemed too subjective. I needed to create my own standards for reviewing-rating a book which I could apply to all future books in order to have constancy and credibility.
@ the time there weren't any books available on 'how to write a review' but there were several on how to write a book.
I read many of them and about bored MYSELF to death.
I knew which things excited me when I read a book. Originality was the top of the list, but other things stood out as well such as characters development and plot resolution and soon.
Then I stumbled upon a YouTube video by one of the Goodreads author. The videos are of a writing workshop and the introductions to them are rather cheesy but if you watch them I think you'll understand what I mean by "originality".
Now I want to add a couple thoughts about those videos, they gave me "ideas" on what to look for. Some of the characters types are stereotypes because that's what that author . Yet as a reviewer if I found those characters I'd dock stars. But I encourage you to watch the videos to get "ideas" maybe you can see the helpful points and their flaws?
I have beta read for over a dozen authors here on goodreads. I usually recommend these videos as a helpful tool to new authors.
They helped me define my reviewing methods.
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 1 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 2 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 3 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 4 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 5 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 6 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 7 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 8 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 9 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 10 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 11 of 12
How to Write a Story that Rocks, part 12 of 12

[Debra]

Tammy K, your post really sums it up nicely for me.

[Better]

Tammy K.~ Pro-Active Destruction wrote: "Characters are highly important for me. I DO NOT want to read about stereotypical, cardboard cut out, characters.
...
Create, be original, give us something/someone that hasn't been done a thousand times before."

I totally agree with Tammy. I don't open a book to read stereotypes. I am looking to make a connection as if I were going out on a date with my book. I want to discover the depth and complexity of my hero/heroine and what drives the villain to do what he/she does. In zombie books, of course, the driving force usually turns out to be an insatiable hunger for brains, but the point of zombie lit is not that the zombie is the protagonist, the situation itself is, so I'm looking more for unique situations in these cases. I don't think there's much difference between zombie stories and any other genre story in this regard.