Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

A Struggling Central Character

Trying to do the right thing, Changing but not there yet.

After the CC has that life changing event and resolves to get his/her life in order, the awareness settles in that this is the right thing to do. There was a situation comedy on TV awhile back where the CC has done some bad things in life and when he hits the Lotto, resolves to go back and set things right. He makes a list of all the mean spirited schemes he has been part of and all the people he’s hurt and with his sidekick set about righting the wrongs of a lifetime. The humor comes from seeing the before, and now snapshot. Nobody wants to take him seriously.

The theme of redemption is a strong one and can be found in most stories that follow the traditional model. Think about all those movies and books you read. Readers and audiences simply love it and really connect with a hero or heroine that is trying to make things right. Usually, for most of the story the CC is caught up in the quest, taking one step forward and two steps back, getting knocked down by adversity and finally triumphing.

A writer needs to milk this tried and true thematic formula. People love it. The second part of the puzzle is to grow into the new person they've resolved to become. The consumers are continuously assessing how well the CC is doing, smug in the certainty that they could do better in his/her shoes. Why don’t they try this or that the reader thinks. That will never work, the audience laments. This is the response the writer is working to achieve and the better the job the better the read. Slowly this change is what needs to be seen in the product improved version of the CC. It should represent a huge improvement over the character the audience was first exposed to. The final test comes, of course, in the climax where redemption is achieved and good triumphs over evil. Now to some, this pat little approach to growing a CC is considered trite and not something to be viewed as a serious literary undertaking. BALONEY! Before you consider yourself too sophisticated make sure you can do the basic stuff. Picasso could paint a realistic picture when he was a mind to… To start with get a command of the basics.