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Stories are more interesting to me when it feels like the characters are consistent and real, and their motivations are driving their actions, not the invisible
by laufj 9y ago
Stories are more interesting to me when it feels like the characters are consistent and real, and their motivations are driving their actions, not the invisible hand of the storyteller that already has an ending and theme in mind. Because in this case I have something to learn from it.
- ChrisSD 9y agoUndoubtedly. However old sci-fi authors did do well out of making the concept the focus. They were often much much weaker at characterisation and characters really only existed to explore the high concept. In some ways they were like an essay but in story form. As someone who grew up reading these, I would have liked better characterisation but concept focused stories still appeal to me.
- joe_the_user 9y agoSure but that sort of approach of making the concept the focus depended on giving the concept depth and richness. The Pixar approach allows nothing to have depth but everything to still work emotionally. Any variety of original, well-craft fiction will have "meat" whereas this sort of thing is more or less just "sugar" instead.
- aclissold 9y agoFor me, concocted stories (if done right) are an exercise in human creativity & ingenuity. The characters are an amplification of our own character traits, and the situations are metaphors for our own lives. If done masterfully—this overrealization captivates me, and the emotions I feel at the end are real. And I can learn something new about myself for it.
- mrec 9y agoThe Mote in God's Eye and its sequel are perennial faves of mine in this regard. Individual characterization is nothing special, probably par for the course for SF of that era, but nobody is stupid and nobody is evil and watching everything play out organically is just fascinating.