Friday, September 24, 2010

Jerks

I like jerks.

That's my answer when somebody asks me about writing compelling characters.

I could go into a great laundry list of questions. Ask for definitions of words like compelling and character, or lists of likes and dislikes, but that would just mix all the whites with the bright or dark colors. Then everything comes out grey and you still don't know where the lost sock went.

Confusing, right? Exactly.

I like jerks. Like House. Tom Sawyer. Huck Finn. The Lorax. Clementine. Dorothy. Claudia. The Cat in the Hat. The little boy who planted a carrot seed. Vashti.

But especially House.

All spin cycle jokes aside, he is the most interesting, compelling character I've seen in recent times.

He is smart.

He is funny.

He is honest. And damaged. And pathetic. And he goes after what he wants, regardless of what stands in his way.

I don't always like him or agree with him. I AM always interested in what he'll do next.

Sort of like...my husband.

And that's what makes him compelling. House comes across as real. Heightened, of course. To superman proportions. It is a TV drama after all. But I bet he could probably find that freakin' lousy sock that always disappears in the dryer.

And he would definitely make laundry a whole lot more interesting.

DISCLAIMER: The above listed reference to my husband's personality is not meant to defame or damage said husband's reputation, esteem, or self-proclaimed sub-genius status.

37 comments:

  1. haha! Great post! Jerks are definitely likable (in fiction) hehe

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  2. I was laughing. Good post! House is a pretty compelling character. I agree with making the character come across as real ... that's kinda what I discuss in my post.

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  3. House!!! Excellent choice, I'm in full agreement with jerks! This is very creative, I love how you still spoke of compelling characters but showed it from a different light!

    Thanks for joining the experiment, and I'm happy to be a brand new follower, because with a writing voice such as this, I can't miss all the fun posts to come!

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  4. LOL Perfect! Jerks do make the best characters :D

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  5. House is the first "compelling character" I list in my post, too. He is a jerk, but there's that small seed of *something* that still makes him (sort of) likable. :D

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  6. House is a great character. Completely missed the premier.

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  7. Haha! Jerks always have great lines and sometimes they get the girls attention alot more than they should. *sigh* ;)

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  8. I love the "honest" part. Sometimes that's the hardest thing to do, ever. And when a character can do it, it's powerfully compelling. Great post!

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  9. I love the jerks too! Characters we love to hate are the most compelling. :)
    I'm your new follower #28. :)Cheers!

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  10. I haven't seen House, but I've heard similar things about him. I'm another new follower here!

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  11. Oh, House. He is one sexy beast, isn't he? In all his jerk-filled glory.

    I love your blog, btw :)

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  12. Ha ha ha! I love this answer for compelling characters. Perfect! :-)

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  13. Thanks for a good laugh and a good post!

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  14. I like jerks too! (Should I really put an exclamation mark after that?)

    Great post. Very clever.

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  15. Fabulous post! And House is one of the greatest characters I've come across in a long time.

    Great job!
    Jen

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  16. Funny...I like screwed up people...I mean characters with deep seeded issues, gut wrentching(sp?) problems that eventually work it all out and find inner peace, love and happiness. (smile)

    Have a great weekend!

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  17. LOL House is an awesome character. His dry humor and quick wit makes for many laughs. His damage gives him drama. There are so many different sides to his personality.

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  18. I was waiting for this. House has been swirling around in my head all day...

    :-)

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  19. Honest, damaged and blessed with the possibility of redemption and I'm right there with you ;)

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  20. Isn't it true?! House is a jerk - in a loveable, caring way. Nice one!!!

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  21. Liking jerks is a lot like liking villains. I always find them the most compelling because, when done right, they are the most real - to me anyways. Maybe that says something bad about me... but I'd like to think not.

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  22. House is brilliant. And I love this post for the Great Blog Experiement :)

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  23. Ha! I love your writing and I love House! Great example. Thanks!

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  24. Great post, but it's interesting, this is actually the exact opposite of what I wrote in my post lol, you should drop in and check it out : )

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  25. A great post and a pleasure to read. I can tell you have a wonderful sense of humour......not such a bad thing,

    Enjoy your week-end.
    Yvonne.

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  26. LOL! Perfect! I love apparently love Jerks too. There's a TV show I'm fond of and I always thought the jerky guy was more attractive until the "innocent" one got a little threatening and I was like, wait...maybe he's more attractive.

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  27. I agree! Some jerks can be very compelling! Especially if the writer shows what makes them tick: were they always a jerk? If not, what happened to change them? How do they redeem themselves/get their comeuppance in the course of the story?

    Interesting take on the GBE topic! Glad I found this blog! :)

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  28. House is a great 'jerk' character! I had to reel my main character back a bit or he would've been too much of a jerk.
    Thanks for participating in our blogfest!

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  29. Love love love this post! House is a very compelling character! Quirky AND jerky. I laughed at your disclaimer about your husband.

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  30. I can only take House in small doses. Yes...he is interesting and compelling, but I tire of his shenanigans to easily. :)

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  31. I love jerks too. House reminds me a bit of Sherlock Holmes. Smart, knows what he wants. But I love that House is damaged - draws reader sympathy! Thanks for the follow! :)

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  32. Great post! I like the spin you put on the necessity of making characters REAL. Well done! (And I like House, too!)

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  33. House really is a jerk, but we keep going back to see him every week, don't we?

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  34. Not only did you make a great point in this take on compelling characters, you also showed you can nail a compelling opening line :-)

    It's been a whole week since the blogfest and I'm still getting around to visiting...slowly.

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