Like most of America, I spent this weekend with the Harry Potter characters. These films have been amazing – not surprising as they’re based on amazing books.
While the Potter books have an intricate plot that astounds me (how did she think to plant all those clues along the way?), it is the characters that make me care about what’s happening. Because its happening TO THEM. They are what keeps me coming back for more.
And it wasn’t just the heroes that intrigued me. I even found myself engaged in the pain of Draco Malfoy in the last few movies, despite his previous bullying ways.
The longevity of interest in a group of characters throughout a movie series is rarely seen, though we do get attached to our television characters. I also have characters from books that I’ve enjoyed over a series, besides the Potter brood. I don’t really care for long running romance series that feature the same couple in every book, but I love return appearances of previous heroes and heroines that grace me with ongoing glimpses of their lives.
The biggest that comes to mind is the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. This author doesn’t promote the traditional Happily Ever After. Instead she continues to publish glimpses of the couples’ ongoing struggles and how they work through them to preserve their love for each other.
Each glimpse also deepens the characterizations and makes the characters appear even more three-dimensional and real. I get to “visit” with them again and catch up on their lives like old friends. That investment keeps me coming back for more – to the point that this is one of the few authors I’ll spring for when the books come out in hardback first. I simply can’t wait an additional 6 months for the paperback.
So tell me, what series characters have you fallen in love with and why?
Right about now I should be standing in the middle of Disney World. Zilla the girls and I have been here for the last week. I've been planning this trip with my family for months now. We're mainly here to unwind, enjoy the Christmas decorations and get into the spirit of the season.
However, this got me to thinking. One of our favorite things to do at Disney (well, at least mine - Zilla could care less) is to get a hug from my favorite characters. Mickey, princesses, fairies, captain Jack...my list goes on forever. I'm even hoping to find Thumper this time! I've heard a rumor that he's lurking somewhere in the Animal Kingdom.
In discussing this with my family it started a rather heated debate about who is the best/favorite fictional character. To my dismay Sponge Bob made the list at my house. But so did Black Beauty, Anne of Green Gables and some fictional mouse detective that I'd never heard of. So, who is yours? Could be a cartoon character you've since you were a kid. Your favorite character from a book and/or movie. Anything fictional...who's your favorite?
I'll bring back a surprise from the happiest place on earth for one poster along with a copy of my Jan 1st release, Caught Off Guard.
How many times have you read a novel, forgotten the plot but remembered a great character? Maven Linda presented a program at our RWA meeting recently about characterization and she told us it's all about the characters and not about the plot. Create a hero and heroine the reader will fall in love with. Make the reader care about what happens to them. Once you've done that, the rest will fall into place.
Last Saturday was my birthday. Last Saturday also marked the passing of actress Dixie Carter. She created one of the most iconic Southern characters ever to appear on television, and I am sad to say good-bye to Julia Sugarbaker.
Designing Women aired from 1986 to 1993 and portrayed the lives of four women who co-owned an interior design firm in Atlanta. Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker were complete opposites. Julia, the older sister, was elegant, eloquent, intellectual and outspoken. Suzanne, the younger sister, was also outspoken, but usually only as it related to her self-centeredness. She was also a former Miss Georgia World and never let you forget it.
Julia and Suzanne were always at odds but had formed Sugarbaker Designs together. Julia managed the firm and Suzanne was the major financial backer. Her money came from her numerous ex-husbands. Mary Jo Shively, a designer and divorced mother of two, and office manager Charlene Frazier, single, naive and a big fan of the tabloids, rounded out the company's roster. In the early seasons, Anthony Bouvier appeared from time to time to do the heavy lifting, but his role was expanded and he became a regular and a partner in the firm. One other character appeared with regularity -- Bernice Clifton, an absent-minded resident of a senior citizens' home who was a friend of the Sugarbaker sisters' mother.
While the show was a comedy, it was also tackled controversial subjects like AIDS, racism, homosexuality, females in the clergy, society's attitudes toward overweight people and spouse abuse.
Back to Dixie Carter for a moment. She was a native of our neighboring state of Tennessee, graduated from Memphis State and was first runner up in the 1959 Miss Tennessee pageant. She did theater in Memphis and then moved to New York City where she appeared on stage and later in daytime dramas. Roles on several TV series eventually led to Designing Women, and recently she appeared on the popular Desperate Housewives in a role that earned her an Emmy award.
Maven Linda told us that one of the secrets to creating memorable characters was to let them go off on tangents. This is where you get to the heart of the character and make them real.
Julia Sugarbaker often went off on tangents. Her famous monologues could move you to tears or blister asphalt. Sometimes she was chastising Mary Jo for considering using an inheritance to buy breast implants. Charlene was frequently reprimanded for reading gossip rags on company time and Anthony's "unfortunate incarceration" for a robbery he did not commit was mentioned from time to time. Frequently, she was taking her sister to task for her shallowness or for bringing her pet pig Noel to the office.
Dixie's character was liberal with left-of-center views, and because she did not share those views, she made a deal with the show's producers that allowed her to sing in an episode for every speech she disagreed with.
I will leave you with this clip from the show. For all their head-butting, Julia was very protective of her friends and especially her sister. It's been said this clip is Julia's most famous tirade. It's certainly my favorite.
After you watch it, let us know if you were a fan of Designing Women. Who was your favorite character? What was your favorite moment on the show? Do you miss it as much as I do?
Rest in Peace, Dixie Carter. Heaven just got another angel.
