Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been in Nevada for the past week and haven't seen a computer in four days. Anyway, I'm going to post a review on Thief of Time, a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett.
Thief of Time is about how one guy from Ankh-Morpork makes the perfect clock, one that can accurately measure time up to the smallest of units possible. Unfortunately this would also cause time to stop. Which means that the world, and possibly the universe, will end. So while Death is trying to persuade the other three horsemen of the apocolypse to ride out, it is up to Lobsang and his master Lu-Tze of the History Monks to stop this clock from ticking. Again, Death's own granddaughter, Susan, is pulled into the adventure, quite reluctantly, in a search to find the son of Time. And of course, you can't miss the Death of Rats or Quoth, the raven (Po reverence, hint, hint) and a few Auditors are even thrown into the mix.
The world is coming to an end, yet Pratchett affectively adds his very unusual Discworld humor to lighten the atmosphere. What with chocolate craving, human disguised Auditors and one very suspicious milkman, this is the book to read if you're looking for a good laugh. As well as some very interesting and deep thinking.
Terry Pratchett is the author of the entire Discworld series, including The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. You can find Thief of Time on Amazon.
~Catherine
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Motive
If you want your characters to seem real and believable, a motive is always good to give them. It is something that will drive them through the story and to their ultimate goal, whatever that may be.
For example, there's Harry Potter. His destiny is to save the wizarding world by destroying the evil Voldemort. Anyone who's read the last book knows how he achieves that. Motive is the 'why'. What motivates him to risk his own life to defeat Voldemort? Why didn't he just run away with his muggle family and leave everything as it was? Why does it have to be his problem?
Well, first of all, Voldemort killed his parents. That's a big motive right there. Another is that everyone knows what Harry is supposed to do and expects him to do so. That's peer pressure to the extreme. Not to mention the fact that Voldemort wants him dead and comes after him with all of his creepy Death Eaters. That kind of thing is a bit hard to ignore. So Harry's motive could be considered part fate, part defense, and part revenge. He realizes that he has to defeat Voldemort in order to avenge his parents, to save his friends, and to protect the whole of the wizarding world. When you add the 'why' to the story, Harry Potter seems a lot more realistic, doesn't he? He's definitely not a comic book superhero who just goes and defeats the bad guys and gives no clue as to why he's taken on the responsibility.
I spent quite awhile yesterday coming up with motives for two of the antagonists in my own book. The main reason Claudius is altering events in Wade's life is so that he can avoid disappearing due to the premature death of one of his ancestors. Wade betrays his friends because he believes them to be siding with Claudius whom Wade hates for his interference. The last thing I want my readers to think is why are the characters doing what they're doing. That question will be answered.
I sure hope this helped anyone who is reading this and happy Fourth of July.
~Catherine
For example, there's Harry Potter. His destiny is to save the wizarding world by destroying the evil Voldemort. Anyone who's read the last book knows how he achieves that. Motive is the 'why'. What motivates him to risk his own life to defeat Voldemort? Why didn't he just run away with his muggle family and leave everything as it was? Why does it have to be his problem?
Well, first of all, Voldemort killed his parents. That's a big motive right there. Another is that everyone knows what Harry is supposed to do and expects him to do so. That's peer pressure to the extreme. Not to mention the fact that Voldemort wants him dead and comes after him with all of his creepy Death Eaters. That kind of thing is a bit hard to ignore. So Harry's motive could be considered part fate, part defense, and part revenge. He realizes that he has to defeat Voldemort in order to avenge his parents, to save his friends, and to protect the whole of the wizarding world. When you add the 'why' to the story, Harry Potter seems a lot more realistic, doesn't he? He's definitely not a comic book superhero who just goes and defeats the bad guys and gives no clue as to why he's taken on the responsibility.
I spent quite awhile yesterday coming up with motives for two of the antagonists in my own book. The main reason Claudius is altering events in Wade's life is so that he can avoid disappearing due to the premature death of one of his ancestors. Wade betrays his friends because he believes them to be siding with Claudius whom Wade hates for his interference. The last thing I want my readers to think is why are the characters doing what they're doing. That question will be answered.
I sure hope this helped anyone who is reading this and happy Fourth of July.
~Catherine
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