Have you ever come across characters who are too stupid to live? A few of these are to the point where the reader is screaming "Stop being an idiot. You're going to get yourself killed!"
It isn't so bad except when the character happens to be the hero or the villain. (I'll admit I've written a few of these, but no one will ever see those books.) Most of the time I find this idiocy occurs when the character is one dimensional. Since I realized this I try to know my characters, even the most insignificant person has there own story, their own background. Most of this never gets used in the story, but I know it, and knowing it makes those idiots gain more depth and become real people.
Sometimes idiots are there for comic relief. We used to listen to a book series on long car trips that had a pair of dogs who were friends. One of the dogs was named Drover. Dumbest dog on the planet, but great for comic relief. It made the miles go faster.
ReplyDeleteOhh I totally hate that! Looking forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that would be a real problem if the main character was an idiot! Who would want to read further?
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