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Need opinion for part of plot?

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  • 05-11-2012 11:49pm
    #1
    kylierey93
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭


    Hello! I'm thinking of writing a novel, but I'm still brainstorming minor events of the plot and so on and so forth. My question to you guys is, in one of the sequels, my antagonist's son is instructed to follow my protagonist around. He ends up betraying her bla bla bla but later saves her because he'd grown fond of her. His mother was good, so he has good in him and its not like a full 360 turn around. Is a former 'bad guy' ending up with the 'hero' of the story cliche? I'm still at the point where I'm just throwing around ideas, so this can easily be discarded. My protagonist has a love interest in the beginning who's one of the 'good guys', but I was planning on making him kick the bucket.

    Thanks guys!


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    #2
    alfa beta
    Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    reminds me of that (bad) old joke about cinema ratings

    12's - the good guy gets the girl
    15's - the bad guy gets the girl
    18's - they all get the girl...


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    #3
    Antilles
    Registered Users Posts: 1,183 ✭✭✭Antilles


    I'm all for planning ahead, but write the damn novel, then worry about minor events in the sequels.


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    #4
    EileenG
    Registered Users Posts: 5,775 ✭✭✭EileenG


    I don't like "His mother was good so he has good in him". We are all more than our genetics, we are our life experiences and our hope and ambitions as well. Some total bastards have lovely parents, and one of the most honest people I know has two career criminals for parents.

    Whatever he does has to make sense in the context of the story and the character you've given him, not his parents.


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    #5
    Toasterspark
    Closed Accounts Posts: 273 ✭✭Toasterspark


    No-one's black and white, all good or all evil. There's a bit of light and dark in everyone, and the best stories are where the protagonist and antagonist display both good and bad characteristics.

    As Eileen said, don't use the idea that 'his mother was good, so he is good too'. I'd rather read a story where the guy fell in love with the protagonist, but still retained his bad characteristics. Perhaps love could prevail in the end, but no-one swaps their ideology overnight because they love someone. If he wanted power before, I could still see how the offer of power would make him betray the antagonist despite his feelings for her. Or something similar.

    Main point: Love doesn't make a bad guy into a good guy. If you change the antagonist into a protagonist, don't do a personality transplant. Retaining old traits will make his character more complex and interesting.

    And for the love of God, write the damn thing. Don't think about sequels until you nail down the first book!


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