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Until I started my list, I didn’t realize how many annoying characters there were.
Here is my list:
1. The energizer bunny who never stops working and playing and goes on and on without stopping to rest not because there is an emergency as in The Martian, but because they love to be this way.
2. My Way or the Highway types. There is only one way to do things. And no one can ever please them.
3. The crazy mean boss that everyone kowtows to because she would extract a terrible revenge. (Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter).
4. The lazy adventurer type who lets everyone else do all the work because he is so charming. The others fall all over themselves to please him. He even lets the hunter guide shoot the lion he poses beside.
5. The over jolly, everything is a big joke character who thinks even mean tricks are just for fun so why should the victim make a fuss? (An example is Sir John Middleton and his wife in Sense and Sensibility teasing the young ladies about their beaus).
6. The delicate, fragile character who is a monster of selfishness and no one dares to breathe for fear of upsetting her and making her ill.
7. The character that is too good and too sweet and renounces her own life and happiness for others. (I think of Sonia in War and Peace).
8. The liar. (Grima Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings).
9. The characters that always feel guilty and are always beating themselves up for not being perfect. They protest too much. They are boring.
10. The bossy, mean, blame-everyone-else character that loves to be miserable and uses fake outrage as a weapon. (SueEllen in Gone with the Wind).
11. Young women or young men who pretend to be dumb for various reasons and enjoy the attention they receive for acting silly.
12. The tattletale…more than just innocent gossiping…done with malicious intent. They hint. They raise an eyebrow. They smirk.
13. Tools. They work for someone diligently. They never think for themselves. They have no moral compass and will work for the highest bidder.
14. The character that never eats. They push their food (usually a salad or bean sprouts) around with a fork or put the plate aside. They remember hours later that they haven't eaten all day...sigh. (I prefer Stephanie Plum buying a sack of donuts).
So, the real characters who suffer angst, who learn about themselves, who try to succeed, who are redeemed, who work hard and who do help others are much admired by me compared to these shallow characters who cause so much pain to themselves and others.
Of course, a book must have these types, but I have to say that some of them are just too annoying and I don’t think they would be missed.
What kind of characters annoy you in stories?
Diaries of the Week:
Write On! Writing aloud.
by SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Condolences to Maya Angelou's family and her millions of friends and readers. She has left a hole in the world. But while she was with us she gave us all so much.
This is a great article with lots of interesting information:
Poet, Author Maya Angelou Dies At 86
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Angelou, a Renaissance woman and cultural pioneer, died Wednesday morning at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, her son, Guy B. Johnson, said in a statement. The 86-year-old had been a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University since 1982.
"She lived a life as a teacher, activist, artist and human being. She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace," Johnson said.
A poem and videos here:
Dr. Maya Angelou dies at the age of 86
by TrueBlueMajority
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Robert Fuller says:
My protagonist of dignity Adam Blue is now making waves in the future, pursuing joint anti-terrorism operations with Russia.
http://www.rowantreenovel.com/....
Hopefully things get more interesting from there.
The Kindle version of The Rowan Tree still free on Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/...
My memoir Belonging still free via Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/...
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plf515 has book talk on
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