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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/5974-Paved-with-Good-Intentions.html
Action/Adventure: October 30, 2013 Issue [#5974]

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Action/Adventure


 This week: Paved with Good Intentions
  Edited by: Sara♥Jean
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

I'm so excited to be your Action/Adventure Newsletter Editor this week! Please let me know if you have any feedback, or if you have any topics you'd like covered in a newsletter. I will be glad to research it for you and do my best.

Sara*Heart*Jean


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Letter from the editor

Paved with Good Intentions
How to put some action and adventure around the characters who simply mean well.


Have you ever heard the phrase, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions?" I am reminded of the phrase quite often, and usually not for good reasons.

However, this phrase can save those "goody-goody" characters in your book, to keep them from being so sickly-sweet that people actually start to dislike them.

In every series that I fall in love with, there tends to be a character that, no matter what in the world they try to do, everything always seems to go wrong. For some books, it can be humorous. For some books, it can be rather disheartening. For others, it can add some spice.

Be careful how this tactic is used. If an author goes too far or makes the character themselves too depressing, they can actually lose readers. Humorous might be the best way to go.

Here are some examples:

A girl bakes a cake for the hero, because she has a crush on him. As she is bringing it to him, she trips, and the cake spills all over the hero.

A mother is sewing up her son's torn bear, only to poke herself in the thumb JUST right that it goes numb. Just as she's sucking gently on it to try to alleviate the pain, she discovers that her son has hidden his favorite car in the bear's torn arm.

A rather bouncy little girl is gathering flowers for her teacher, who happens to be a secret superhero. A bee scares her, and she trips into a pond when getting away from the bee. Amused, the teacher superhero happens to be the one to show up, helping her out of the pond.


These, of course, are situations without stories surrounding them. Consider coming up with your own clumsy character, and see where it might lead!


Editor's Picks

Remember to leave some comments for our featured writers!

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The Singer  (13+)
A sniper team is sent to kill a singer whose song soothes those infected with the Bug.
#1959819 by Kotaro


The Hunger and the Cold  (18+)
Something hungry this way comes.
#1960267 by Robert G. Moons

 
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Ask & Answer

Feedback and comments from the last newsletter: "Action/Adventure Newsletter (October 2, 2013)

I agree that love isn't necessary...sometimes lust works just as well. *Rolleyes* - billwilcox

So, so true. Spicy!

Writing is hard for me right now. Knowing that I don't have to put love into yet makes me feel at ease in my writing. - Doc CS

Oh, that is wonderful! Yes, don't worry about love, yet.

The Belgariad was the first fantasy series I ever read. And you were right, the love plot fit nicely with the overall mission! With your suggestion, I was wondering if we need some narrative showing the reader how a character's [insert massive character flaw here] comes about because of a lack of love. Also, thanks for picking my new stories. It's good to be back! - Joshiahis

I totally love that series. It was the one that got me really turned on to reading.

"So... does your character HAVE to fall in love? No. No, they don't. But make sure that, if they don't, there is something that fills that void."
Right on! All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque comes to mind. It is all about the horridness of war and death on a World War I front.
Not that death and war is a good substitute for love, as I recall being terrified when I read it while in my teens, but it could be something else just as strong and more palatable. *Smile* - Joy

I think what you illustrate perfectly here is that, while love isn't necessary, there need to be things that still keep a person's interest, if it isn't there.

I am a little late getting to this . Great topic, Your points are spot on. There is more mileage on this topic be sure. I have one story cooking, with no love interests involved. Well no real love. In the one I am working on now. The winning of a kingdom depends on love. I have only written a few chapters of the action adventure without love and it seems to be a lot easier. I will let you know if that holds true. - jim1184

Sounds great!

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