I'm Just Confused

[rosalinda-143.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I'm just so confused right now. And I want your guyses advice on what to do. My book involves vampires and yes they are teenagers at a school. Sounds like Twilight doesn't it. Well I don't want it to sound like Twilight. I want it to be my own (with secret agents and strong, independant women), and I have had some people suggest that I change them to adults, so that they're older and more mature.

And I don't know which to choose. I've been thinking about it and I just can't decide, so I'm holding a poll. If you pick yes or no please tell me why in the comment box. Thank you.

[Poll #1444798]

peace.love.happiness.

- Rosie

Comments

[mari-mac1109.livejournal.com]

Okay, to me, the character of a teenage strong, independent woman who's a secret agent? Really not plausible to me. What's more, if I was reading about her, I'd feel like she was a Mary Sue.

That said, I can see why you might not want to make them adult-adults. There's a mood that's totally lost if you age them/her ten years (say from 16-18 to 26-28). Maybe you could compromise and have them be older teens or younger adults--say 18 to 23? They'd still be young, but you wouldn't be adding another high school vampire novel into the mix, which, quite frankly, I'm not sure we need more of at this point.

It does sound like an cool idea... but when I was thinking about the ages, I had another thought. If your FMC is a secret agent than obviously she's intelligent, mildly athletic (can at least run for it, if need be!), thinks quickly on her feet, has a social intelligence that lets her get the job done and probably bleeds into her personal life, etc. So, she's a pretty 'glamorous' character, right off the bat. And a strong, independent woman. Well, that's all well and good (trust me, I'm all for crazy strong women!) but it could make her seem too... perfect?

I guess my trouble with a young secret agent is... is the character even old enough to be THAT good at what's she's doing? If she IS that good, she'd still have had to go through a lot of training, etc., which would have seriously hampered her social life--she might even have been an 'outcast' if she spent a lot of time going on missions or missed school for training, briefings, whatever. I just feel like your character needs some kind of struggle--especially if she's younger.

So, the thought I had that might make your FMC seem more real and 3D was... what if she was still in training to be a secret agent? If she was around 18-23 or so, that would seem a bit more age-appropriate and the fact that she's going through trials and still learning and making mistakes, well, that would add a lot of dimension and meat to her character. Readers like to identify with what characters are going to--joy, love, sorrow, whatever. Seeing a character struggle to become something awesome, well, I think a lot of readers could relate, where as you'd have fewer readers relating to a woman who is already an awesome secret agent who is strong and independent.

But, that's all more than you actually asked for... I did read your scene snippet the other day (got pulled away before I could comment, sorry!) and the comments in the post, so from all that, this is my take on the whole thing. Obviously, I'm not intimately familiar with the whole story, so some of this may not apply. At the very least, I hope it helped. I'd be interested in seeing more from this world in the future, as I do think there's potential for a cool story and a good, fun read in there.

[rosalinda-143.livejournal.com]

That's the thing, I do have her making mistakes and still in training and getting punished. She's not perfect in any way and she is an outcast in a lot of other schools she's been to (I just pose her as strong and independant because I hate how Bella is so clingy and dependant. I just hate that in a woman). Sorry, I confused you there... you can read more about her on my blog but is locked to friends only. you can friend me if you want to check it out... and comment there.

But again thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. ^.^