I am a procrastinator and often let TV distract me from my work. It is the beauty and the curse of Netflix instant watch. I can watch all the reality TV I want for as long as I want (First it was Celebrity Rehab and now I am getting caught up with Ruby), Timeless TV (Family Ties, Dick Van Dyke) Research (History channel, A&E just on the off chance I might get around to that historical romance I have been kicking around in my head.)
With all the sick and twisted perversion available to watch at any time at the day, I have to embrace the beauty of flawed characters. But where do you draw the line between loveably deranged to downright frightening? How flawed is too flawed? When does a character cross that proverbial line?
As a reader, I do have a skewed moral compass and am able to give a character a lot of leeway if they have been endeared to me. For example, my favorite character in the book, The Godfather was Michael. Yeah he might have "lost his way" by becoming the head of a mafia family (I hope I'm not giving anything away.) But family was everything to him, and his heart was in the right place. He did all the wrong things for the right reasons.
As a writer, I venture into unknown territory, OFTEN! Recently I dusted off a sci-fi short I wrote (It actually was another bag story for writers group). The lead character is a male (This story was my first time writing from the male perspective) and for some reason has the voice of Vince Vaughn, but the looks of Dwayne Johnson-aka The Rock. So I really don't mind revisiting him and his bed hopping –er– I mean his story.
This character has a skewed sense of right and wrong and will do anything he can to blur the lines as long as it benefits his needs.
So tell me, where do you draw the line? How flawed is too flawed for you? Inquiring minds would like to know!
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