(This one is about parenting. Obviously. Thankfully, my son was never this destructive in a short amount of time. He was too meticulous and carefully in his messes.)
So, we talked about smart characters on Monday. Today, we’re going to talk about the opposite side of the coin. Not in how to write them, but in how they can be the ones to come up on top. Many people act like ‘dumb’ characters will always lose against smart ones, but that isn’t always the case. How?
Much of it comes down to personality and habits. Just look at how they are depicted in fiction:
Smart– Thinking several steps ahead of everyone and taking into account every logical possibility. They are knowledgeable and able to use what they have learned or figured out to solve nearly every problem. If they run into something new, they eventually adapt and become a master of it unless the plot says otherwise.
‘Dumb‘- Don’t really know what is going on, but they are following what their smarter allies are doing. If they don’t have that then they are following their instincts. Whatever seems right, they’ll do it unless a trusted person says otherwise. Even then, they are prone to be unpredictable and come up with their own paths of logic even adapting on the fly.
See the words that are bolded? These two types of characters work off different sources. A ‘dumb’ character isn’t usually a true, helpless idiot too. They are the impulsive and simple-minded ones who follow their hearts and whatever ideas they come up with. Sure, they can be outsmarted, especially in a prolonged fight, but they are not always destined to lose. We like to think that way because society puts intelligence on a high pedestal to the point where it’s seen as the only mental stat worth having. So, we overlook the ‘dumb’ people who have their own ways to succeed.
The unpredictability of a ‘dumb’ character is what can give them an edge. The plans of smart characters try to take in every possibility, but it runs off a logical path. A character who doesn’t act in such a way and functions off impulsive reactions will have an advantage once they shatter that plan. People tend to expect the smart character to predict the unpredictable, but that reaches a level of author manipulation. Even a genius can be caught by surprise by someone who doesn’t use any form of known logic. One can also argue that you can’t predict the exact action an un predictable character will take beyond nothing it will be a surprise.
Of course, the ‘dumb’ character can be a hindrance to their own side. Any structured plan can be destroyed by their actions. Allies tend to factor in the surprises by using this person as a distraction or leaving a lot of opens for adjustments. Of course, these adjustments take time, especially if one needs to communicate. So, the ‘dumb’ character will be able to move and act faster than changes can be activated. This is why many stories will have these characters end up on their own while the rest of the heroes go off to do whatever they need to do.
Will it usually be the ‘dumb’ defeating the smart? That really depends on who the author favors. Many treat smart characters as perfect and able to change plans in an instant, which makes them unbelievable. Just like with a ‘dumb’ character who always gains victory by being random. So, their strengths also have to be played off as weaknesses at times to prevent them from being seen as infallible. This is why it pays to have these characters in the same story because an author who doesn’t play favorites can their differences to make them deeper.
So, what do you think of ‘dumb’ characters defeating the smart?
Let’s jump to War of Nytefall: Savagery where Clyde met a monster that could toss him around. This was a story that I was building up to without much in the way of foreshadowing. I knew I needed one volume where Clyde couldn’t overpower his enemy and had to withdraw to get stronger. Otherwise, the series would get pretty stale since I could only have him outwitted so many times before he came off like an idiot. This volume is available for $2.99 on eBook and $12.00 Paperback. Enjoy the teaser.
One of the hardest characters to write may be the genius hero. This is the one who knows about everything and supplies answers to all questions. He might not even be in the main cast, but he’s there to make sure the audience will know what is going on. That and to genius a solution when the other heroes are in trouble. Doesn’t seem like that big a challenge, so why did I say it was?
First, I believe a character can’t be any smarter than its creator. This is fairly easy to counter since authors are smart enough to craft worlds, stories, and characters out of thin air. We aren’t idiots, so we can have a cunning and smart character, especially since we’re the ones making the problems. This is even easier in fantasy where a genius would know about magic and a world that the audience doesn’t live in. So, you can forge the high intelligence of a character through these technicalities and manipulations. That seems pretty easy though.
There’s a trap in the previous benefit. Again, the author is the one who made the challenges and is making this character to be a genius. So, the solution may come out of contrivance instead of intelligence. This can happen once or twice, but if they are routinely solving problems in ways that are too coincidental then they’ll stop being looked at as geniuses. They’re no longer deep characters, but a constant ‘get out of trouble’ card for the author. It heads into that perfect, infallible character situation that can sink even the most interesting of stories.
So, you have to figure out how to make the character smart with flaws. This leads into a common issue:
SMUGNESS!
Whether it’s intentional or not, we have a habit of giving geniuses an air of superiority and smugness. Even they don’t show it themselves, audiences might get this sense from the character’s actions. For example, we tend to have the geniuses come up with the plans and solve the problems. This can shift to a point where they don’t listen to anyone else and no other character is allowed to solve a problem. The others can be shoved into ‘dumb by comparison’ categories and lose some of their dimensions. They are nothing more than the tools of the genius character, who is now perceived as a smug elitist. Even if they’re treating their allies well, the author’s refusal to let anyone else solve a problem will be a strike against them.
People also tend to assume that intelligent characters will never make a mistake. They clearly are so smart that they’ve anticipated every action and have created a counter to all possibilities. It’s the whole ‘Batman wins’ stuff, which tends to ignore that high intelligence doesn’t always mean high insight and wisdom. There’s a reason intelligence and wisdom are different stats in Dungeons & Dragons. The former deals with ability to memorize and recall information while the latter is about understanding situations and common sense. I’ve met plenty of high IQ people who couldn’t common sense their way out of an open field.
That brings me to another challenge and maybe a mistake. There’s a trend in fiction where a genius is always socially awkward. This even goes to the trope of a genius character always having autism. It’s always that ‘sexy autism’ where the person is simply socially awkward, talks fast, and fixates on whatever information is important. Even removing the autism side, you have plenty of genius characters who aren’t good at communicating and are borderline outcasts. This is kind of a romanticized version of geniuses where we want them to seem tortured and unique. They can’t fit into our society because their minds are so advanced and focused on the future. Personally, I find this to be a bunch of bullshit and a fairly frustrating trope.
So, what do you think about writing genius characters? Any tricks you can think of?
We actually have these animals at the Bronx Zoo. They are called Mongolian Wild Horses, Przewalski’s horse, takhi, and Dzungarian horse. Sadly, they were made extinct in the wild for the following reasons:
Competition with livestock.
Hunting . . . I guess people ate them.
Capturing of foals for zoos.
Several harsh winters.
Military activities in their terrain.
On the plus side, that third problem is also what is allowing them to be reintroduced into the wild. This brings them up to critically endangered status. They are another success story involving breeding and reintroduction. This also makes them the only wild horse species. Well, that and the fact that they are untamable even in captivity. No, zebra and the like don’t count. You can read a lot about their comeback HERE.
What are some cool facts about these horses?
They are actually distant cousins of domestic horses. They share a common ancestor.
They have 66 chromosomes, which differs from the domestic’s 64. This seems to allow them to produce fertile hybrids. Typically, a hybrid cannot breed.
Wild horses are short and stocky with a large head.
They are hind-gut fermenters, which means they need to have a lot of water and low quality food.
Herds typically have a single stallion, but may have younger ones living on the edge of the territory. Once they reach breeding age, they are chased out of the herd. This is why you will also find bachelor herds.
N.M. Przewalski is the first person to scientifically describe this species, which is why his name is attached to them.
The first general documentation of these horses are rock paintings from Spain and France, which are more than 200,000 years old.
Wild horses have a variation of brown colors, but their bellies are always lighter colored and their backs are always darker. They also have a zebra-like mane.
Currently, they are only find in reintroduction sights within Mongolia, China, and Kazahstan.
In order to deal with 90 mph winds, they will face away from the wind and tuck their tails between their legs. This protects their eyes, nose, and genitals.
Their greatest predator is the wolf. Mares will create a circle around the foals to protect them since they can easily be run down.
Wild horses go through hypodermis in the winter. This means their metabolism slows down, which makes them eat food at a slower rate.
All living wild horses are descended from a group of 13 breeding horses, which were protected when they went extinct in the wild.
The title really says it all. This was a week of just making it to the break. I didn’t get to work on Darwin & the Demon Game because I was too tired. Work was crazy since we have a week off. My son had a bunch of schoolwork, so we didn’t get to relax as much as I would have liked. By Friday, I was just dragging myself to the laptop to write this post and then go work on a new puzzle.
That isn’t to say nothing interesting happened. I did finish this LEGO set:
The Mighty Bowser Lego Set
I’m waiting for the LEGO Rivendell to become available, which is going to be a summer build for me. This one was fun and challenging though. I’m surprised it came out as big as it did. Made space in my son’s room for it since he wanted it there. Rivendell will be my treat in the end.
The other big event was last Sunday:
Wicked
We went to see ‘Wicked’ on Broadway. I’m not much of a play person, but I like the ones that connect to things I already know. This one had more singing than I expected, which wasn’t bad. The effects were good and there was a decent amount of humor. Sassy humor at some points too, which appealed to me. I liked how the story carried into ‘Wizard of Oz’ and brought an extra dimension to that story. Overall, I can see why this show is so popular and lasted this long. Not sure what the next one we’ll try is going to be. Really depends on what my son wants to try and what’s available.
I wish I had more to talk about with this week, but it was lowkey out of necessity. Most nights, I took my Ashwagandha and Zzzquil around 9:30. I was out around 10/10:15 and slept about 6-7 hours. This is a great step forward since I only had one panic attack at night, which was triggered by a specific event. I’ve got a doctor appointment in 30 minutes to talk about this and explain why I’m not comfortable taking certain medications too. I mean, most of the issue has passed and I’m getting it under control. I’d like to at least wait and see if the trend continues. Oh yeah, I have an eye exam too, which I realized I haven’t had done since 2019. Guess this is appointment day.
Now, I know I should be making goals in regards to writing. I’m nervous to do this because I always fall short. I’ve got my son during the week, so I only have the weekends to work with. I’d like to think I could finish Chapter 7 and 8 of Darwin & the Demon Game this weekend. Part of it depends on if my eyes get dilated and how long it takes to recover from that. My hope is 2 sections today and 3 tomorrow. If I pull that off, I might be able to do chapters 9 and 10 the following weekend. My son wants to work on some of his own projects, so I might even write during the week if that happens. No matter what, I’m expecting to come up 1 chapter shy of the 2/3 mark. It really does appear that I can only write one book per school year. At least until I regain some of my author stamina, which might be a winter issue.
The only other plans for the week is to spend time with my son. We’ve mostly done schoolwork, so we want to have fun. Zoo trip is definitely going to happen. A local museum is setting up classic arcade games that you can play, so that’s going to be on the list too. The cold weather means a lot of indoor stuff. Going to do some cooking, which hasn’t happened that often. Even going to try making baked ziti, but with vodka sauce instead of chunky marinara. My son seems to prefer that type of sauce over the regular stuff. Sounds like a scattershot of stuff, but the Winter Break is always flexible because of the weather. Never know when it will get freezing or snow around here.
As far as television goes, I’ve just been watching anime. Finished one last night and I haven’t decided on what I want to tackle next. There aren’t any live-action shows that appeal to me right now. Kind of going through the motions on most things these days, but we’ll see what I can find. Maybe I’ll just put old sitcoms on as background noise while I tinker with a puzzle or a notebook.
Really need to give a thorough examination to the Phi Beta Files information because my brain is trying to rethink the whole thing. I’ve already got 95% of the rival teams, all of the heroes, and all of the recurring villains set up. I don’t know want to tear pages out of a notebook and can’t figure out where this thought process is going. Part of it might be that I’m feeling old and limited in time, so I’m trying to junk as much a possible in an attempt to believe that I can write all my stories before I eventually die. This is what my brain does when I start thinking about my own mortality. Eh, I’ll have a 4 hour span on Monday where I can read and write . . . Unless certain people prove to be more of a headache than I expected. If I can finish the last of the rival groups, I can do the allies and then dive into the 6 books with their short story explanations.
Anyway, what are the goals of the week?
Write at least 2 chapters of Darwin & the Demon Game.
Appointments!
Make some progress on Phi Beta Files
Read more Naruto since I promised a student I would do so.
Spend time with my son when he’s here . . . This really is a given.
Creating monsters for a fantasy world can be done in a variety of ways. None of them are better than the others, so the author can use the one that suits them best. It doesn’t even have to be one method and that’s all. You can have monsters coming from all styles of creation, which is probably the best tactic. Mixing it up creates a lush and deep world where there is familiarity and new. Keeps the audience on their toes.
Now, what are the methods?
Mythology/Folklore– This is the simplest one to explain, but can be the hardest one to pull off. You have to do research here. Plenty of monsters have been created throughout human history, so there will inevitably be one that can fit what an author is looking for. The trick is to get it right because these come with pre-existing expectations and knowledge. You can only change these monsters so much before you’ve made something entirely new and piss off anyone who is a fan. There’s also the issue of some monsters having multiple forms and versions, so you need to research the various aspects if you want to get it completely right.
Mother Nature Frankenstein– Creating monsters this way will take some time and you may need to keep notes. The basic concept is that you take pieces and abilities of real animals then mash them together. This is probably how many mythological creatures came about like the Peryton (winged stag) and centaurs (human/horse combo). Again, it seems simple, but there is a danger. Some authors may get too into adding parts and creature too big of an amalgamation. The best way to use this method is to have a reason for each part and keeping it at 1-2 solely for aesthetic reasons. Everything else should serve a purpose. This makes sense because real animals tend to evolve adaptations that are useful instead of simply looking cool.
Straight from the Mental Depths– There is no mythological or natural origin for what you’ve created. It’s just a strange creature that you came up with. These tend to be made up on the fly, which is why they can be so bizarre. The author starts with a challenge and then designs the monster as soon as it appears. Then, it is altered and changed as the scene is written. Abilities are granted to counter the heroes until the fight has gone on long enough. It’ll be redesigned at least once to accommodate any of these changes. Think of this as being made entirely from clay, which will not dry until the final edits are complete. Personally, I find this to be the most amount of fun and the most difficult out of the 3 methods. You are a lot more likely to go overboard here because there’s no restriction of pre-existing information (mythology) or laws of nature (Mother Nature).
So, those are the 3 main ways that I can think of. I’m sure there are more as well as some subcategories. Still, you’re generally going to have these three because they each have different levels of reality/stability. Mythology has the most since you’re working with creatures that have already been created. Mother Nature is in the middle because you’re making something new, but using real beasts with a touch of magic at times. SFTMD is pure imagination with nothing acting as a solid foundation until the author is done with the design.
The method that one chooses depends on entirely on what they want for the scene and your own comfort levels. This means you can’t declare one method better than the others or shame people for taking what you see as the laziest path. Everyone has their own way of doing things. Some authors aren’t good at making monsters, so they’ll work solely with mythology. Others are great at monsters, but aren’t good at other things. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses, which monster creation can fall into. As long as the beast works for the scene, one shouldn’t complain about its origin.
Legends of Windemere 