I find it ironic how I apologize for disappearing, then reappear again after that after about twice as long. But that isn’t really what this post is about. This post is about an observation I made about real life, and observation that could help me with my writing, and possibly yours. *speaks to the imaginary followers and evil minions who read what I say*
Basically, as my title suggests, there is always a catch. You can look at someone whom you wish to be, someone who nearly always has life good. Perhaps they have a lot of friends, a good social life, they are allowed to have fun a lot of the time. But behind that, there is always a catch. Perhaps they keep many secrets, perhaps their parents are too strict. Or maybe, on a more serious note, they are seriously sick. I know someone exactly like that, she has a really good social life, always has a ton of people listening to her, but she is extremely unhealthy, and every few days she has some sort of horrible ache or pain.
That makes me start thinking about everyone else. What is the catch that can ruin them? Just because I’m in a generous mood right now, I’ll say my own. I get depressed too easily. Were you to find yourself in my head, you would lose yourself in the sea of depression. Oh, it doesn’t show when I talk, or when I am among people, but my mind is full of bitterness. The sweetness that used to define me is long gone. So no matter what, this sickness, as I like to call it, can easily destroy should I allow it.
What is yours?
And this all comes back to writing, as everything does with me. This is a piece of information that could easily define your own characters. Ask yourself, about every character you have, what are the pros of their life? Is there a catch? Is it real enough?
The best example I can think of to show what I mean exactly, is Frank Zhang, from The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. (If you haven’t read this, I suggest you do so, it is worth the time!) Frank is the son of Mars, or Ares, and a descendant of Poseidon. He is great at thinking of battle strategies, and he can be anything he wants to be. Not is the self-confidence boosting way, but more literally. I won’t spoil anything. But despite all of this cool, amazing things, epic powers, is something that makes his life as fragile, if not more so, as the life of a candle stub as it burns. That’s a pretty good hint too, of what I mean. And so he never has a chance to truly live, because he is always worrying for his life. He is a really well-made character, even though I don’t like him very much for who knows why. To those of you who do know what I’m talking about, my favorite characters are Percy, Nico, and Leo. (Team Leo!) Okay, I’m done.
So yeah, from now on, I’ll keep that in mind whenever writing. I suppose this post serves as a reminder to myself than anything else.
Hardly Alive 