Monday, April 15, 2013

M is for Mistakes




I've made many. Some I can look back on and laugh (don't worry, I don't have a misspelled tattoo), but others still make my stomach twist with regret. Even so, I know that I'm a more interesting person because of them: more compassionate, more understanding, more... human. 

And what would the characters in our stories be if we didn't allow them to make mistakes too? Boring! I don't want to read about someone who's perfect. I want to watch them falter and mess up, time and again, just the way I have. I want to watch them fall because when they finally do lift themselves up, I'll believe that they're like me, and I'll know that there's a bit of redemption waiting for all of us.

17 comments:

  1. Making a mistake is one thing, is a human thing. Making a mistake and learning from it takes it to anther level of growth.

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    1. Very true! It takes a level of awareness and a desire to change.

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  2. The people who don't make mistakes are those who don't do anything!

    And if we have to be able to relate with characters, they should feel real. Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus are very annoying to read about.

    Nice post :)

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    1. The Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus would also be quite boring to BE!

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  3. oh yeah, if our characters didn't make mistakes, then we would be writing about machines!

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  4. Uh ... that picture is a little scary! :) And I agree with Zainab - the people whmo don't make mistakes are those who never try anything. :)

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    1. Which scares you more, the message or the bad grammar?

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  5. You know, I love Dumbledore. But what I super-love about him is that he knows he's made mistakes...and some really big ones too.

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  6. Absolutely! Perfect characters are boring characters. People make mistakes, and so should our characters.

    Lovely post. :)

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  7. Making mistakes and realising the mistake are great moments in a story.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  8. Some of the best characters I have read are the ones who make the most horrendously bad decisions for all the right reasons. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion... you want to scream at them to stop and think for a second.

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  9. Oh yes! Letting them make mistakes is like letting our kids make them. Your instinct is to stop it from happening, but your wisdom is to know they learn from them. (hopefully anyway) ;)

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    1. Isn't it interesting that we do want to protect our characters, yet it's our job to make their lives miserable???

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  10. Totally agree - perfect characters are a complete bore. I want to read about characters I can relate to!

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  11. Good point, characters cannot be perfect. They have to be human, with flaws. That's what will make them interesting and relatable. Great post!

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  12. I couldn't agree more with this post. Mistakes are what make us human. I hate when people present themselves as flawless. We've all messed up. It's not doing it again that counts, right? :)

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