Magnets

Originally posted in October: 

      I don't want to write.

      I  do,  but I don't. Instead, I flick over to the ever so drawing Pinterest boards and try to find my characters because that will help me with my writing.

      Nice try, Bread (I might've nicknamed my brain). Nice try.

      Now, let us move on from this beginning that has no pertinence in this post. I had to get myself writing somehow. If that requires me talking about not writing, so be it.

      I am convinced opposites attract. I am convinced that characters are very unique and have personalities, and quirks, and beliefs. They're their own person. I'm also convinced that my psychological skills must be pretty great, but that's beside the point and I have no need to be getting all egomaniacal.

      On the first. . . I may or may not have had an engaging chat with my friend Alley's MMC (main male character) yesterday afternoon while entertaining some company. What's even more awesome? He's an ISTJ. The exact opposite of myself (if you didn't see my last post on the topic I'm an ENFP). I should've already known something was wrong when my favorite character in my own work in progress ended up my exact opposite. But, no, I didn't really heed such warnings. So, I've fallen in that little trap some characters will set in which you just end up utterly adoring them. 

      I'm sure we've all found such characters in books and such. I'm just stuck sitting here wondering what on earth happened. He went from a character I'd heard a lot of and sounded awesome to being a character I find awesome without much  help. I don't care if he's twisted and messed up. He's hurting and needs help and I just like him.

      Opposites attract. Just saying. Thought that might be some sort of epic pivotal point for your stories. I completely was not just talking.

      No, seriously. Think about some of your greatest friends. You're not exactly the same, are you? You have tendencies which are no doubt completely opposite than those of you BFF across the street. What about your character's friends? We can't expect them to be the same. Sure, they'll have similarities, I mean, how else would they become friends in the first place? But they'll be different enough that the friendship can work.

      Some of my best friends? We have so much in common, yet at the same time we don't. Those differences keep what we have in common from making us hate each other or something. I mean, two north magnets are going to repel each other.

      But at the same time, opposites can be hard to get to know. You have to get down on their level. You have to see it through their eyes. I could sit back and look at my MMC, Jeffery, and I could spot all these things I don't agree with or understand. Why would he do that?  You have to look through their eyes. How do they see life? We're writing our characters, not ourselves. Even if pieces of our being end up in them (I might write something on that sometime. . .), they're not us. They work differently. 

      If you want to get to know your opposite, you just have to find your common ground. Whether it's an emotion, a shared interest, a similar family member you have to deal with, or something completely different. Find something you can get along on. Then it's easier to get on their level.

      I have to do it all the time with people around me. I can just throw up my hands and say people are weird and walk away, but I like to try and get to know them when I can. I don't like opening myself up too much to them at first, but I've found that sometimes in those people you're sure you'll dislike, there's something that can be found that you will love. Common ground means everything. Whether it's with people, your characters, or that annoying character named Josh in that book you're reading.

      Opposites attract, but they can repel if you're not careful.

      Do you have any opposites in your writing?

-Silence K. Grulkey