Countdown to NNWM 2012 − 13 Days!

[ladyseishou]

13 days until the start of NNWM


The best stories don't come from "good vs bad" but from "good vs good."

— Leo Tolstoy



In what ways might your antagonist be considered “good,” Nano Writer?

Comments

[dark_kana]

Ha! Now that... Is even a harder question to answer than the previous one... Because, in this story I have planned, there is no real antagonist. Except the cancer, but...
...
Okay, so : In what way is the cancer considered 'good'? Uhm, it makes her fight? It brings her closer to the love of her life? :-/

[ladyseishou]

Sounds like you have an antagonistic force at work in your story to me! And you've certainly found a way to see it as a positive force as horrible as it actually is... So you have something that leads your protag through a door of opportunity (fight the cancer or let it beat her) - when she steps through it, how does that bring her closer to any kind of love? I have all kinds of questions now ;-)

[dark_kana]

It's... a complicated relationship between her (Freya) and the guy she loves (Nick). And how the cancer brings Freya closer to love? Well, Nick is just stubborn. :p

I'm glad I managed to intruige you. :-) I like questions. ^^

[lap_otter]

So there is sort of an antagonistic figure in the story, Moriarty, but he never shows up (and in fact spoilers before the story even starts). The threat of him spends a little time looming, but he's so inconsequential to the way the story plays out that I can't in good conscience call him an antagonist.

Instead I think the antagonist kind of has to be Sherlock: John's worst fears and hurts all originate there, and the conflict of the story is John Vs Mystery--a mystery Sherlock (partly deliberately, partly on accident, and partly out of sheer sentiment) set up.

So the ways in which Sherlock is good are pretty clear: to start with, he spoilered to save John and others, he solves crime for a living ("My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?"), he's on a quest to tear down a massive criminal organization. On the other hand, he MADE JOHN WATCH HIM SPOILER, which wrecked John, and then he gallivanted off on an adventure without taking John with him. He is both what John wants and what's standing in the way of what John wants, and because I'm a stinkyface meanypants, it's not actually any better at the end, except that now John knows.

[ladyseishou]

The best love stories portray the love interest as the antagonist... who else best to stand in the way of the protag achieving his desire? You have a lot of cool stuff going in here... :-)

[dark_kana]

The more you tell us about this, the more I really want to read it!!! ^^

[lap_otter]

Thanks! God, I'm so nervous about it. I want to do it right, do justice to ACD and Moffat/Gatiss and to John Green, and I also want to have it posted before S3 starts to air, and it's easily the most ambitious project I've ever attempted. And I don't know anyone who's a writer who's read PT and seen Sherlock who can talk to me about sources of narrative tension and how to make things that make sense for high school kids in Florida make sense for grown men in London.

If you want to read it as I write it, once November starts I'll be posting it under access-lock at otter_nanowrimo. If you're interested I'll add you to my access list :)

[dark_kana]

I'm sure you'll do a magnificent job with it! But I understand completely that you are nervous. Good luck! I know you can do it! *waves pompons*
I'm afraid I can't help you either... :-( But perhaps this comm has someone. Or at least it has persons willing to help and listen. ^^

OH! I'd love to read it! Could you please add me to your acces list? *puppy dog eyes*

[otter_nanowrimo]

Done. :)

[paceisthetrick]

I would argue that most scientists firmly believe that what they do they do in the interests of mankind. Even those who developed the first atomic weapon believed that it would be the bomb to end all wars. So, as a paychiatrist, my character would really believe he was helping people. Only when faced with what was done in the name of science does he have doubts.

[ladyseishou]

Yes - you've got it - lots of conflict potential!