I'm curious is anyone has this same problem. Figured it goes with any genre. I'm writing a romantic drama that takes place over a handful of years. It's a character driven story, so their actions and mistakes is what drives everything forward. In my current WIP my characters meet at the beginning of their senior year of high school. One is a big dreamer desiring greatness and to be remembered in his own way, the other is a well known person throughout the world who dreams of something less and simple with life. Instant conflict, and it works! Their views on life are not the only issue - they're both rather damaged characters with toxic family relationships. It all leaks into their relationship and, technically, they really shouldn't be together. They're both so damaged and opposite and occasionally cruel to each other that it can't really work out. However, they also both need each other as some form of stability. Long story short, it's a big messy way to grow up.
So I'm near the end of the first draft of my WIP. In the last few chapters an anxiety has taken over me with my writing: are my characters just complaining about their circumstances too much? For example I love them together and I them as people, but for a portion of the story one character flat out leaves and then returns a changed and stronger person - the other stays behind and has everything bad happen to him you can imagine and even a suicide attempt. As I write I've been nervous the reader would just struggle getting through because "the characters just complain and suffer a lot".
Yet in the big reunion scene I was stunned at how much I was annoyed by them. Me, the writer! My plan for the ending is a bittersweet one where they get together after much tragedy but I was writing and thought "Ugh, they don't deserve each other".
I've balanced their disdain at things well (or so I thought): other characters point out their flaws and they often realize their own. It's a non-sexual driven story so there's scenes of them just being happy and enjoying one another (perhaps not enough?) because I thought the readers should know what they can have. I know in my ending and that they'll be better and changed people at the end. Yet are they going to be likable? The journey there is a rough one, maybe too rough.
Maybe it's just the scene that's not working, or maybe I should just get through the first draft and see how it is. I love these characters so much but my worry is the audience won't. So really - should I just stop freaking out and get on with it? I'm tired of writing them angry, them crying, them bitter and more. But now that they're together again (a huge plot development for the novel) I just cannot see why they should get what they want. But at the same time, I do!! For most of the WIP I've loved these characters. But the last few chapters have been them at their worst and while it's not out of character, I'm a little surprised at how much uninterested I am in them getting any happy ending. While I've been pumping out the story now I'm at a creative halt.
This was really just a rant, I apologize for the length. But if there's any advice out there, please share! I'm wondering if this is something that I should just wait for my beta readers to hit upon.
Are my characters just too annoying?
So I'm near the end of the first draft of my WIP. In the last few chapters an anxiety has taken over me with my writing: are my characters just complaining about their circumstances too much? For example I love them together and I them as people, but for a portion of the story one character flat out leaves and then returns a changed and stronger person - the other stays behind and has everything bad happen to him you can imagine and even a suicide attempt. As I write I've been nervous the reader would just struggle getting through because "the characters just complain and suffer a lot".
Yet in the big reunion scene I was stunned at how much I was annoyed by them. Me, the writer! My plan for the ending is a bittersweet one where they get together after much tragedy but I was writing and thought "Ugh, they don't deserve each other".
I've balanced their disdain at things well (or so I thought): other characters point out their flaws and they often realize their own. It's a non-sexual driven story so there's scenes of them just being happy and enjoying one another (perhaps not enough?) because I thought the readers should know what they can have. I know in my ending and that they'll be better and changed people at the end. Yet are they going to be likable? The journey there is a rough one, maybe too rough.
Maybe it's just the scene that's not working, or maybe I should just get through the first draft and see how it is. I love these characters so much but my worry is the audience won't. So really - should I just stop freaking out and get on with it? I'm tired of writing them angry, them crying, them bitter and more. But now that they're together again (a huge plot development for the novel) I just cannot see why they should get what they want. But at the same time, I do!! For most of the WIP I've loved these characters. But the last few chapters have been them at their worst and while it's not out of character, I'm a little surprised at how much uninterested I am in them getting any happy ending. While I've been pumping out the story now I'm at a creative halt.
This was really just a rant, I apologize for the length. But if there's any advice out there, please share! I'm wondering if this is something that I should just wait for my beta readers to hit upon.
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