Writing Dailey

August has had me feeling feisty. Overworked, overheated, and pulled in far too many directions. This feeling reignited a blog idea I jotted down during the calmer, more pensive spring season, and I believe now is the right time for it. I want to talk about the characters we relate to and why.

If we consume any amount of media, there’s bound to be a character or two you relate to. Whether from books, shows, or movies, we connect to the personalities and personas crafted by other humans (not inauthentic AI).

A story is only as good as its plot, purpose, and people—characters—because it’s those beings who draw us through the story. If characters lack dimension, are wholly unlikable, or underdeveloped, the story will suffer.

As a child, I enjoyed characters in movies, shows, games, and books, but I wasn’t looking too deeply into their depth or lack thereof.

Growing up, I related to (wanted to be) Kimberly the Pink Ranger (her bow & arrow weapon rocked), Princess Leia (she was a badass), Princess Aurora (she got to frolic in the forest), Princess Peach (the prettiest character in Mario Kart 64), or Princess Guinevere of the Jewel Riders (who had equally awesome BFFs)—well, I’m seeing a trend… I wanted to be pink and/or a princess—the Venn diagram is practically a total eclipse.

As I got older and cynicism crept in, I realized I have more in common with frustrated father figures than princesses. Don’t take this for an admission of gender dysphoria, but rather a personal understanding that, at times, I get caught up in my hyper-independent masculine side and want to handle everything without asking for help to save myself time and not burden others. When in that mental space of kicking butt and taking names, I inevitably get frustrated or burnt out, and I enter what I like to call the George Trifecta.

George Banks (Steve Martin in Father of the Bride), George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life), and George Newton (Charles Grodin in Beethoven)—frustrated men who believe the world is against them—are the three male characters I regularly relate to, but especially right now in this late summer state-of-mind. I commiserate with these fictional characters and often quote them in the heat of my attacks of cynicism.

These three characters struggle to hold onto the reins of life amidst chaos and unknowns, and are perpetually confused by the people around them. Troublesome occurrences seem to plague them—like when it rains, it pours, Murphy’s Law, and a throw-it-on-top, burn-the-candle-at-both-ends situation all rolled into one. Their fictional frustrations are relatable, and I don’t even have kids or pets like them.

Relatable cinematic characters have been aired, so we can now move on to a more literary POV. There are two female book characters to whom I heartily relate. Their similarities are several amidst their differences, and they both possess healthy doses of feistiness.

Nesta Archeron

Marked for notoriety in Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Nesta is not beloved by all readers, or even characters in her own world. Still, she’s my favorite female character in the Prythian realm, who, in my opinion, ends up with the best Bat Boy.

At first, I didn’t love Nesta—I was caught up favoring Feyre—but as the series continued, and in A Court of Wings and Ruin and A Court of Silver Flames especially, she won my heart and empathy. The eldest child of her family, much expectation was placed upon her (eldest daughters unite!), and she adopted a hard exterior to get through life’s hardships (been there, done that).

Nesta does not want to appear weak; she is not good at asking for help; and she’s great at holding grudges (ask my brothers about all the screenshot receipts I have). Throughout Silver Flames, Nesta contemplates quitting, but doesn’t (#relatable); she has a way with words, has danced with depression, loves her people fiercely, is stubborn, feisty, and loves to read. She’s my girl, minus the excessive alcohol consumption and revolving bedroom door.

Cimorene of Linderwall

The improper princess of Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Cimorene is truly the princess I wanted to be growing up.

Right off the bat, Cimorene lets the reader know she is nothing like her six older sisters (perfect, pretty princesses), but instead prefers fencing, magic lessons, and dessert making to etiquette and embroidery (preach it, lady). She loves the Enchanted Forest (later on, becoming its queen), is a dragon’s librarian (I, too, worked as a librarian, well, a library assistant), and she also manages to go on an adventure to find a missing magical sword whilst pregnant (Feyre couldn’t do that).

All that to boot, Cimorene is fierce, strong-minded, has a close-knit group of friends, and loves to read. She’s also been a huge inspiration for my WIP’s main female character—a quarter century after first meeting Cimorene in my small-town library, and she’s still present in my life.

Why do I relate to Nesta and Cimorene (aside from my parenthetical sharing)? I, too, am fiercely independent and a bit stubborn; I enjoy doing things my way; I would do anything for my loved ones; I have major eldest daughter/first-born energy (for better or worse); and I would by far prefer to learn how to fight over how to finesse a social situation—I’m okay with making things weird. And, by now, dear reader, it should go without saying that I love books and reading. There are pros and cons to relating to these characters, and I’m okay with that.

None of this rambling about characters I relate to is meant to come across as me poppycocking, but instead, to suggest to other readers and consumers of media to think about why you love the characters you do and to parse out which characters you relate with. It’s a fun and highly entertaining activity if you admit you have some cons accompanying your pros.

You may find not-so-flattering comparisons (the George Trifecta) or ones that make your heart sing upon the discovery. I could go on and on about other fictional characters I relate to and share similarities with: Elinor Dashwood, Luke Danes, Basil of Baker Street, Princess Jasmine, etc.—you get the idea.

The next time you have a quiet moment during the last hoorah of summer, rather than pull out your phone, I encourage you to ask yourself what characters you relate to and why. Your thoughtful conclusions may surprise you, make you laugh, or even bring a smile to your face—all of which help soothe inner feistiness.

Next Post:

Monday, September 29