Monday, April 21, 2014

A to Z Challenge: R is for Rule Abider

This year, I'm participating in the insane awesome A to Z blogging challenge, which entails posting EVERY SINGLE DAY during the month of April, except for Sundays. Each day's theme corresponds to a different day of the alphabet: 26 days, 26 posts. I'll be blogging each day this month on some aspect of my current work in progress (WIP).

R is for Rule Abider

Yes, I know I'm conjugating that verb in strange and incorrect ways, but I'm calling it artistic license, so bear with me.

Let's go back in time for a moment, all the way back to April 7th - two whole weeks ago! - when this year's A to Z Challenge was in its toddler-hood, and we were all only posting about the letter 'F'. That day, my post was 'F is for Free Spirit', and I talked about the first of my two Uber Characters.

Once again, that's a made-up term, which I define as the umbrella character for every mortal person in each lifetime that a soul has. Since this novel is going to follow two souls from life to life, I thought I needed to decide what defined each soul: the traits, needs, and basic sense of spirit that are innate to the soul, and that would carry through from life to life.

So, the first soul was a Free Spirit - fiercely independent, suspicious of rules and authority of all kinds, and a bit wild, often in unexpected ways. The second soul, of course, is the Rule Abider.

This is Uber Character #2: cautious, controlled, and a lover of stability. This is a conservative person in the  true meaning of the word: not necessarily religiously or politically, but in attitude and outlook. As Google defines it, this is "holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation." In other words, this soul is just as likely to be a dominatrix as it is to be a priest. I know that sounds strange, but it really depends on how you define 'traditional.' Think about it: this soul would be a lover of rules and control - perfect for a dominatrix - who adheres to age-old traditions about that dominant role, and who keeps strict, ironclad boundaries between his/herself and clients.

See what I mean?

Now, of course, we have two diametrically opposed Uber Characters who couldn't be more different - and yet who find, over and over and over again, from lifetime to lifetime, that they are inexplicably and inextricably bound to each other. It's a case of each soul helping the other to grow where it needs it the most. Like yin and yang, or even simple puzzle pieces, they just fit together. The problem, of course, is convincing them of that fact, and that's where conflict, and fun, come in.

20 comments:

  1. I love how different these characters are turning out to be. There's so much opportunity to inflict tension, and tension makes excellent writing! Quite intrigued by this world you're allowing us a peek into, Liz. Can't wait to see the finished product!

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  2. Opposites attract! How you weave the story is compelling.

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  3. Sounds like a great setup for tension, clashes and humor.

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  4. I know the rule abider all too well...and when their perfect fit happens to be the exact opposite---I agree with every one else: wonderful literary opportunities about!

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  5. I can't wait to read your novel and see how these two souls clash over time, such a fascinating concept.

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  6. Got to love opposites. The Ying to the Yang! :)

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  7. I'm a rule abider to the naked eye, but a free spirit in my heart (and behind your back).

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  8. Paula Abdul is now playing in my head: Opposites attract!

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  9. The light with the darkness.
    I'm definitely more of a rule abider.

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  10. I love when extremes come into play. There's nothing better than setting off a character with their opposite to accentuate their uniqueness.

    True Heroes from A to Z

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  11. Throwing two wildly different characters together is a good way to set up tension and conflict.

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  12. I can identity with the rule abider but only by abiding the rules..not with the whole dominatrix thing (at least not that I'm sharing here! haha)

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  13. This is definitely a great way to build confident. I remember when I wrote romances hearing that every character has a goal and if you can make your main characters' goals somehow oppose each other, you have a great romantic conflict. (Firefighter falls in love with an arsonist, to use a cliched example!)

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  14. I think 'Rule Abider' is perfectly legit. It's also a great contrast to your free spirit :)

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  15. I like that definition of 'rule abider'. After all, there are plenty of rules to abide by, including ones we make up for ourselves. I also like the new word abider. I heartily approve of weirding words.

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  16. Being a sign reader and obeyer myself, I like the idea of the rule abider and the neat little boxes where everything fits so neatly. This is an excellent set up for conflict and tension. Will hey ever make it? Will they finally get together?

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  17. I like the term rule abider. Better than abider of rules. :)

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  18. Rule abider works for me. Love the conflict potential of your characters. I like that better than follower.

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  19. Interesting character profiles, either alone or together.

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