forum Things You Want MORE Of In Books

Started January 21, 2019 by @evastardust groupRRAAAARRL

tune

YES!

Sarah J. Maas is writing an adult fantasy series with angels and after seeing what she did to fae…..it's not gonna be good.

Holy crap no.

CHARACTERS WHO ARE SMART AND THEY KNOW IT WHO HECK UP AND CAUSE MASS DESTRUCTION BECAUSE THEY DON'T SHARE THEIR PROBLEMS WITH ANYONE!
One of my favorite tropes!

Heroes/Protagonists that are not humble. (ie: Omg no the prophecy can't be about me. I'm not wooooorrrrrthhyyyyyyyy. blah blah blah)
That's starting to be annoying.

Yeah. But I really hate cocky protagonists who are sooooooo self-confident and we never see them show anything.

Ged was such a good protagonist.

I just want to see a protag that is just….neutral about being the "Chosen One."
Not cocky
not humble
just….neutral.

Yeah!

What do you think about the protag that is cocky, but learns his lesson?

Nahhhh. Although that is great character development…. It's a bit over used..

Oh! What about a character that is super humble but becomes super cocky?

What about a character who is terrified of being a chosen one?

Oh! What about a character that is super humble but becomes super cocky?

Wouldn't that just make them an arseface?

What about a character who is terrified of being a chosen one?

Aren't they all?

Normally, egotistical characters are side characters who just act like assholes, but when the protagonist is cocky, it's always their Flaw™ that they overcome. There's nothing wrong with cocky characters, but I'd like to see some different sides than what's usually shown, such as:

• Characters that are really good at what they do and are righteously arrogant
• Characters that are only confident about certain skills/attributes
• Characters that are cocky but not reckless or stupid
• Characters that don't learn their lesson, or that do learn it but don't immediately change their personality because not all character flaws have to be fixed by the end of the story. Character development is a thing, but no one will ever be perfect.

What about a character who is terrified of being a chosen one?

Aren't they all?

Touche, but im referring to horrible anxiety attacks and depression over their chosen role.

Oh! What about a character that is super humble but becomes super cocky?

Wouldn't that just make them an arseface?

Not inherently.

What about a character who is terrified of being a chosen one?

Aren't they all?

Touche, but im referring to horrible anxiety attacks and depression over their chosen role.

Ehhhh Idk about that. I guess it would depend on what they have to do in order to complete their mission/destiny. If they just had to defeat the Big Bad, then I don't really see a reason to freak out over it. But if they had to die then yea, I guess that would be reasonable.

Oh! What about a character that is super humble but becomes super cocky?

Wouldn't that just make them an arseface?

Not inherently.

I'm curious enough to want to see how it would pay out.

Just because they are over confident doesn't mean they're a jerk. Annoying maybe, but not that bad. More like a roll-your-eyes-as-they-do-a-stupid-thing-again.

Oh! What about a character that is super humble but becomes super cocky?

Wouldn't that just make them an arseface?

Not inherently.

I'm curious enough to want to see how it would pay out.

I think it would be interesting to see them overcorrect. Are you thinking it'll be like the standard "character with low self esteem learns their value and gains confidence" trope except they get too confident? Or would they magically gain powers or something and be confident in that instead of themself (if this is the case, it would also be interesting to see them lose whatever they gain)

I think you said this better than I did. And the answer for me is both. They become confident in themselves enough so that they sometimes do dumb things because their powers or new skills make them feel like a greater person.

This video talks about your thought pretty well.

All of Red's Trope Talks are pure gold, honestly.

YES

I want more characters who are diverse but it's not a plot point. I like that there's books coming out about what it's like to be LGBTQA+, or mentally ill, or disabled, or a racial minority, but it'd be neat to see books with a character who's in a minority but it's not a major plot point.

I want more characters who are diverse but it's not a plot point. I like that there's books coming out about what it's like to be LGBTQA+, or mentally ill, or disabled, or a racial minority, but it'd be neat to see books with a character who's in a minority but it's not a major plot point.

Agreed

Also I want to see gay parents. I feel like I don't see many at all, so I have amy (the most wonderful woman in the world) and her moms Lynn and Sharon in my WIP.