Editing Part 2: Huge Problems––Striker's Redundancy

       I've been having a miserable time editing/rewriting. I run into problems every way I turn. I've been frustrated. I should be able to do this! I know and love my story, I love writing it, so I sit down and expect it to come out the way I want it to. It doesn't.

       I finally zeroed in on the problem (or, at least, one of them).
       Striker is completely redundant. He's a slightly less Aramis.

       At this point you should definitely be wondering how I wrote an entire book and did not realize that my two characters are exactly the same. I have no answer for you. I have no idea what is wrong with me.
       I don't understand how I missed it, but I do understand why it happened.
It began with my decision not to kill Aramis off before the story started. In my original plotlines (as you can read in my previous post), Aramis was killed long before the "main" story even began. This novel began as backstory, showing Aramis and Tigress together, then slowly merged back into the original.
     Striker's purpose, in the original, was to be the good influence on Tigress. The mentor, the wholesome one, the wise-guy, if you will. He pushed Tigress by showing her that there could be goodness and happiness in her world. He was the mediator between Tigress and Trooper and their contradicting (yet so similar) convictions.
       When I pulled Aramis back into the picture, he usurped that position. He is the ultimate wise guy, mentor, the Sun and goodness made manifest. He's untouchable. He is the only person Tigress trusts completely……except for Striker. He is the only person Tigress knows that is actually good……except for Striker.
       Striker is everything Aramis is, only slightly less. He's not as powerful, not as good, not as wise, not as mature, not as secure…but he's close.
       When I merged the two together I nudged Striker a little, making him more eccentric. I amplified his obliviousness, stretched out his funny side, and made him a genius. Unfortunately, this is proving to not be enough. Particularly because––since I wrote the story––I've slightly nudged Aramis a little too, in my mind, making him a much more lighthearted guy.

       What do I do with this flaming mess?!

       Should I just outright cut Striker from the book? That would break my heart. Should I change his character completely?
       What Striker needs is a new role. He needs to be something more than Aramis' back-up, his shadow. He needs to be a new character with a purpose. The question is, what role is there to give him? If I simply slap a new role on him, it will jilt the entire purpose of the story on a new angle.

       Now, I suppose, it is time to reevaluate what I want this story to mean. What is the motion being propelled forward, and who is propelling it? Who is trying to stop it? How do the different characters affect that?

       More thinking, more rereading, more reevaluating. More questions. Always more questions.

Editing Part 1: Meet Trooper––Where Did He Come from?!?!

Alas! My baby died. 

My precious, ancient, beautiful laptop finally died. That's my official excuse for why I haven't updated in a while ;)

So I promised to talk about editing. And, well, I don't really know anything about editing. That's actually why I promised to talk about it––this'll force me to actually think about it. 

To start off with, I began re-reading my story. It was better than I had feared, but worse than I had hoped. I was somewhat surprised by what I found. Allow me to introduce the actual story to you.

In a world of perpetual cloud-coverage and endless cold, the Sun endows few, certain individuals with it's glorious power. Fire springs to their fingertips upon their call, they can feel the presence of those around them, they can influence the feelings those presences, and, it is whispered, they can change the course of fate itself. Blessed, they are called, for their goodness and light, and the Sunblessed rule the world in wisdom and power.

Vivas is a cold, dark, evil city, bordered by incredibly high, stark walls to detain the criminals within. One walks alone in Vivas, for you can trust no one. The darkness is most dreaded; nothing but evil wanders the streets during the moonlit hours. Nothing good ever comes out of Vivas. Nothing good ever could come out of Vivas…supposedly. Why, then, is Tigress––a brutal, Vivatrian girl of the streets––Sunblessed?

Intrigued by this phenomenon, Aramis, a master Sunblessed, has taken the girl in and begun training her in the finer arts of the Sunblessed. Soon the capable pair is sent to find the dangerous, Vivatrian escapee, Scorpion, and bring him to justice. Scorpion leaves a dangerous trail, however, and leads the unknowing Aramis and the wary Tigress back into Vivas herself into a circle of desperate, wretched, human darkness.

Only the Moon shines down upon the clouded city.

Invincibles Versus Perishables (Villains)

As I craft a character it itches me to make him perfect. Not just the best, better than the best. I want a character so cool, ice cubes are jealous! 

Fortunately for my characters, I'm usually able to overcome this fault…until I get to the villains. Too often I find myself making them bigger and badder. The more powerful they are, the more interesting the story, right?

Wrong!

Perishable Farmboy-Orphan,
         Invincible Awesome Jedi

Oh, sure, if all your villains are weak it makes a rather boring story, but it's the same with villains as it is with good guys. You have the superheroes, the invincibles, and you have the mortals, the ordinary humans, the everyday people, the perishables. 

Main characters don't usually start as the best sword-slingers, magic users, leaders, etc., they're the farmboys, orphans, hotheaded but klutzy princesses…you get the picture. If they were all powerful and perfect, they would have no room to grow. There would be no excitement because the main character would know how to handle each situation perfectly. 

Does Aragorn seem the more logical choice of getting Frodo to Mount Doom over Sam? Perhaps. Would it have had the same result? Perhaps not. Sam is the epitome of a perishable. He's not Aragorn, he can't be Aragorn. He's just Sam, but he makes Sam count for something––by taking what few talents he does have and using them to solve the problem. Loyalty, steadfastness, and humility are what get Frodo up the mountain.

Third-Party Villains

What do I mean by third-party villains? A typical story has its protagonist and its antagonist…but what about the stories that include the other guy over there that neither the main character nor the main bad-guy like and who simply exists to cause both parties extreme discomfort?

For those of you that still have no idea what I'm talking about, some examples include…

• Gollum

From The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

He doesn't want Sauron to get the ring, but he certainly would prefer it to come to his precious hands rather than stay in those of Baggin's. He's not exactly the all-powerful Sauron with armies to destroy Middle Earth, but he seems to be way more successful when it comes to actually finding and following our furry-footed friends.

• Rumpelstiltskin

From Once Upon a Time (tv show)

I told you he'd be back! Rumpelstilskin freaks me out––he knows way too much! And who's he working for, anyway? I've got to hurry and get to the end of the season to find out! Our evil queen certainly is uncomfortable with his…creepiness, and our heroes certainly don't like him either!

• The Children of the Light 

From The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

I'm scared to say anything about this series for fear something will drastically change as I progress further into these eternally-long books, but so far the Whitecloaks are rather eery with their whole "walk in the Light" talk. Religious bad-guys are always the scariest…especially since Darkfriends consist of practically anyone that has ever been involved with anything mysterious, good guys included.

• Ezra

From The Leven Thumps series by Obert Skye

Amazingly evil and equally hilarious, our extra-long fancy purple-frilled sandwich toothpick makes a most incredible third-party villain. How did he come into existence? When Geth's soul was forced into a seed and later chopped up for scrape wood, all the fiery revolutionary's anger ended up in this furious, confused sliver of wood. Ezra's main goal in life? Kill Geth. 

Unfortunately for the true villains of the series, when Ezra sets his mind to ruling Foo as well as destroying Geth, he causes quite a bit of trouble for all his limitations.

Spoilers concerning The Legend of Korra and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

Favorite Villains

UPDATED!

I have taken an interest in villains lately––prompted in some sense by the blunt fact that all my own villains stink. Here's in a look at some of my favorite bad-guys and why they work.

• Rumpelstiltskin 

Once Upon a Time (tv show)

This guy is my new favorite! He's creepy, he makes cool hand motions, and he always outwits everyone, good or bad. Everything he does comes at a price. He'll go as far as helping the good guys-–so long as he gets something in return. Sometimes the trade is outrageous, other times it's seemingly not in his favor. 

You don't know what to expect from Rumpelstiltskin, except that he'll probably win, and that's why I like him.

(I'll post on third-party bad-guys like him again very soon.)

• Loki 

Thor (film)

You already heard the big sha-bang about Loki, but in case you didn't read it, I'll summarize.

You understand Loki and what makes him tick. You almost feel sorry from him! He's completely un-stereotypical, and still has awesomely mysterious powers.

• Darth Vader 

Star Wars

Pure evil, really powerful, cool looking. Need I say more?

• Long John Silver 

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Charismatic bad-guys are the creepiest! He's so unassuming with his crippled leg and his modest position as cook, and yet he's the mastermind behind it all. The main character, unfortunately, falls for it.....and perhaps the reader does, too.

• Irene Adler 

A Scandal in Bohemia (Sherlock Holmes) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I keep hearing about Moriarty and how wonderful he is. I can't dispute it––I haven't read all the Sherlock Holmes yet––but what about Irene Adler?

Irene Adler is in one little short story where she is the first criminal master-mind that is actually a criminal master-mind. Sherlock, technically, doesn't win. She completely outwits him!

The best bad-guys are the ones that can actually win.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - SPOILER ALERT!!

I suggest you read the book. Brandon Sanderson wrote it, which means it's amazing. However, I suggest you don't read this blurb on the villain as it gives away the best part of the book. So stop. Now....unless you've already read it or never will, then read on, please :)